Blindsided
by nherbie
Summary: Magnum PI 2018. Thomas is injured while working on a case, but it's bigger than that.
1. Chapter 1

A/N – I put this somewhere in season two. Maybe before Thomas and Juliet became partners.

A/N2 - Many thanks to honus47 for the story's title and her amazing beta skills!

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Chapter 1

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Juliet Higgins eyes snapped open and she was wide awake in a second. She had no idea what had woken her from a deep sleep, but she knew it most likely wasn't good. She looked at the clock on the bedside table, startled at how early it was, just 5:26. She shifted her eyes to stare at the shadows the early morning light made on her bedroom ceiling and then closed them when it didn't come to her. With her eyes closed, she focused on her other senses, mainly her hearing. Finally, she caught it. The dogs. They were barking furiously somewhere outside. The sound was faint but there, enough to have gotten her attention, even asleep. She instantly threw the covers back and reached for the jeans and t-shirt she still kept handy by the bed, old habits dying hard. She slipped out of her pajamas and into the more appropriate clothes for a foray outside, in just a few seconds, jamming her feet into a pair of sneakers, waiting for just this situation. Without even thinking, she opened the bedside table drawer and pulled out her Walther-PPK, automatically checking that there was a round chambered. All in all, it took less than a minute for her to be ready to head out and face whatever Zeus and Apollo were upset about.

Stepping quietly out of the main house, she stopped, listening for the dogs. When she realized that they were coming from over by the guest house, her stomach clenched with worry. She knew it wasn't Rick or T.C., or even one of the women he used to bring over. They wouldn't react like that. She realized she'd put his one-night stands in the past and that he hadn't brought anyone over in a while, ever since the first time Hannah had shown up on the island. She had thoughts about that but kept them relegated to the back of her mind, for now.

Pushing those thoughts aside, she carefully made her way to where Thomas lived. Approaching the dogs, she quietly called them off. They both came to her side, quiet but whining softly. They may harass the man, but they knew he belonged there. In truth, she thought the two Dobermans simply enjoyed the game of chasing Magnum around the estate, happy when he obliged them by running. A fun game that, in their small minds, both parties enjoyed. Holding the gun in front of her, her finger just off the trigger, the three of them made their way to the door. The fact that it was standing open, made the churning in her stomach ratchet up. There was no way he'd leave the door open, no way he'd even leave it unlocked. For all his devil may care attitude, she'd seen that he was careful. Stepping up to it, she pushed it open with the barrel of the gun. There was no sound inside, it was quiet as a tomb and nothing, and no one, jumped out at her.

Taking a chance, she called out. "Magnum?" When there was no response, she carefully made her way inside, gesturing for the dogs to stay put. The utter chaos of the living room made her jaw drop open. It looked like quite the fight had gone down, making her wonder why the dogs had only just now set up a ruckus or if she'd somehow missed their barking earlier. Moving slowly, the gun held out in front of her, she called out again. "Magnum?" She waited a second. "Answer me!" Still no response. She anxiously cleared the room, something inside her wanting to throw away all her training and run carelessly through the house until she found him. She knew he'd been home last night as they'd shared a burger on the grill and a couple beers before each going their own way for what remained of the evening. She also knew he hadn't left the estate nor had anyone come in. The alarm on the gate would have alerted her, even in her sleep.

Moving quietly, she made her way into the kitchen. She stopped short, frozen in place at the sight of the sneaker peeking out from behind the center counter, recognizing it as the ones he'd had on last night. Shaking it off, she moved closer with plodding steps, fear about what she would find making her feel like a raw recruit instead of a seasoned, albeit disavowed, MI6 operative.

She rounded the corner and stopped short once more. One of Magnum's lifeless eyes stared back at her, the other swollen shut from the beating he'd taken, seeming to accuse her of not helping him sooner. A low keening noise filled the room and it took a second for her to realize it was coming from her. She ran forward, no longer caring whether or not there was still anyone in the guest house, her only focus the man on the floor. She fell to her knees in the almost dry blood pool surrounding him and shakily put a hand to his neck, knowing there would be no sign of life. The eyes said it all. He was cold and when she found no pulse, not even a hint of movement, the scream that erupted from her throat caught her by surprise.

"Thomas!"

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"Thomas!" Juliet sat up abruptly in the uncomfortable chair the hospital provided. Something she'd earlier decided was specifically designed to keep visitors to a minimum and usher them on their way as soon as possible. Rick and T.C. quickly had her, both having kept watch when she'd earlier fallen into an exhausted sleep, each holding on as she almost slipped from the chair onto the floor, the nightmare still holding her in its grip.

"Higgy!" T.C. said quietly.

Rick followed up with a quiet comment of his own. "Jules."

Gasping, she asked. "Magnum?"

"Still with us." T.C. said.

"Oh, god…."

"Juliet, he's strong, he'll survive this, just like he has everything else." Even she, in her barely awake state, heard the fear in Rick's voice. There were no guarantees, something the doctors had been sure to make them very well aware of. The damage was severe, and they weren't sure of anything at all, telling them that they'd done all they could for him at the moment, and it was now up to their patient, that he needed to fight. That he'd do that, went without saying. Whether or not he'd be successful, was another story. She looked over at the still form in the bed, surrounded by machines, one of them breathing for him, and bit her lip. Nothing had changed.

The door opened and a portly uniformed HPD officer stepped in, being careful to make as little noise as possible. Magnum was well known amongst the police on Oahu and most actually liked the man as he was always on their side, and on the side of the innocent, even if HPD didn't know it at the time. The ones that didn't, were either in it for the collar and hated that a P.I. had beat them to the punch, weren't too honest themselves or, like Katsumoto was, were a stickler for following the rules, something Magnum and his friends skirted on a regular basis. Still, they got results. Higgins thought that the detective had seen that and, while not always liking the way they got there, had appreciated the outcome. Both Rick and T.C. had crowed about the fact that the man had admitted he considered both her and Magnum friends when they'd been yacht-jacked. Still, he hadn't shown up at the hospital, and it bothered her, a lot. She knew Magnum had been trying to make amends for going behind the detective's back about the whole operation in Myanmar that had resulted in Hannah's death, but Katsumoto was being stubborn. He wouldn't answer Magnum's calls, wouldn't see him if he dropped by the station. She got it, she did. He felt betrayed. Felt like he couldn't trust him again. What she didn't get, was why he couldn't put it behind him, temporarily at least, and be here for what might their friend's last hours on earth.

"Miss. Higgins, I hate to ask this, but I need your statement." Officer Kai said. He'd worked with 5-0 enough to know that this was not a good time, but that there really wasn't any other option. The longer they waited to gather evidence and get statements, the better the chance that whoever did this would never be found. What he didn't know, was that the two men and one woman in the room would never give up looking for the perpetrators, whether Thomas lived or died, whether or not HPD eventually decided it was a cold case and moved on to something else. Not if it took them the rest of their lives.

Juliet straightened up and nodded. "Of course." She was about to shake off the hands of T.C. and Rick, when she realized what those hands meant. They were there for her, as much as they were there for Magnum. She remembered the feeling when T.C. had pulled her into the group hug when they'd come back from Myanmar, claiming that "Higgy baby" was part of their family. It had warmed her to her core. She patted each hand as she stood up, conveying her appreciation of their support. Looking at the officer, she decided to mention the missing HPD detective.

"I would have thought Detective Katsumoto would be here." She said quietly, in deference to the man lying in the bed, when she really felt like screaming it out loud. Officer Kai had the grace to look uncomfortable.

"Detective Katsumoto requested that someone else handle this." He admitted.

Juliet saw red. Magnum had done nothing wrong, not really. He'd wanted the detective, who he considered to be a friend, to have plausible deniability over the whole Myanmar debacle. He hadn't wanted to pull the man into the morass that his life had become. A morass that could have permanently derailed the HPD detective's career. "Really?" She asked snidely, T.C. and Rick rising to their feet at her tone.

"Yes, well, I'm really sorry to have to bother you." The officer said deferentially, hoping to distract her from whatever had set her off. She calmed down, for now. Her friends subsided behind her. The man in front of her had nothing to do with the current situation and did not deserve their fury. That was to be reserved for someone else.

"Fine, let's get on with it then." She stepped outside Magnum's hospital room where she slowly, and succinctly, gave her statement. The officer thanked her and left. When she stepped back into the room, the hold on her anger released. "I have to go." She said baldly. Both men looked at her in shock, and then it morphed into understanding. Neither made a move to stop her. She walked up to the bed and stroked a hand down Thomas's cheek, leaning down to say something to him that was private. "You need to fight this, Thomas. You understand me? You can't let them, whoever they are, win. You fight, do you hear me? You fight and you come back to us!" She stood up and left. The two marines silently watched her leave and didn't envy the man in her sights.

Outside, she slipped into the Ferrari she'd driven from the estate in a daze, following the ambulance that had taken Magnum to the hospital, leaving HPD behind to process the crime scene, not really noticing the missing detective. Something that hit her now. Before, when something had gone wrong at Robin's Nest, specifically with Magnum, Katsumoto had somehow always been the one to show up. When he'd been kidnapped by Hannah's ex-cohorts, he'd been concerned and ready for whatever was thrown their way. Yes, since Myanmar, he'd kept his distance from the P.I. and his cases. Still, this situation had warranted a friend, a _real_ friend, to put aside his hurt feelings and be there for the man. She sat in the driver's seat and felt like it was wrong. Magnum drove this car, no one else. She gave him grief about it being Mr. Master's car, but still, it never felt wrong when she was in the car with Thomas in the driver's seat.

Grimacing, she started up the precision engine and gunned the car out of the hospital parking lot, heading towards HPD. She never questioned whether or not her prey would be there. In her mind, nothing else would do. She made it there in record time, not really surprised that she hadn't been stopped for speeding, sure that it was fate. It gave her a feeling of inevitability, that this was where she was supposed to be, what she was supposed to be doing. Pulling into a spot that just happened to open up as she pulled in, reinforced that feeling. She turned off the car and took a deep breath, preparing herself for the confrontation ahead of her. Stepping out, she locked the car. Looking back, she pondered the incongruency of a convertible car, currently without its roof, being considered secure by simply applying an alarm. Putting that aside, she stormed into the HPD building.

"I want to see Detective Katsumoto." She said, keeping her voice low and cordial, even when she wanted to scream it from the rafters.

The officer behind the desk nodded and asked. "Who may I say is asking?"

"Juliet Higgins." Her name was said with more force than really needed and the man recoiled, nodding while an eyebrow went up. Her tone of voice told him she wouldn't accept any other result than being let in to the see the detective.

"I'll let him know you're here." He stood up and went into the back, unaware that the woman who'd somehow scared him spitless, had followed.

He went into the office Katsumoto had assigned to him and said. "Detective? There's a Juliet Higgins here for you." The man addressed looked up and saw the Mi6 agent behind the officer. Sighing, he nodded. The man turned around and almost passed out at the sight of the angry woman behind him. Regaining his equilibrium, he scuttled back out to his post.

"What can I do for you, Ms. Higgins?" His words put would hopefully put the woman firmly in her place, someone who was _not_ a friend.

"Really?" Juliet spit out the words. "_Ms. Higgins_? Is that how you want to play this?"

Katsumoto pulled all his anger into play. "Yes, that's _exactly_ how I want to play this. What. Do. You. Want?"

Juliet looked at him. "Thomas is in the hospital. Why aren't you there?"

"Why would I be? Other officers, other detectives, are working on it." He wanted her to know that he wasn't at Magnum's beck and call. That this was just another case, nothing that was of concern to him.

"Because…" She said fiercely. "…he's your _friend_."

"A _friend_ wouldn't have gone off to Myanmar without listening to a word I said! Wouldn't have lied to me at every turn! Gone without a single person backing up him and his supposed friends!" Katsumoto spit back at her, forgetting to play it cool, allowing his hurt to show through.

Her eyebrows went up and she replied, not believing what he'd said. "Do you _really_ think he went without backup? You have to know he was naval intelligence! Do you _really_ think he didn't have a plan? Both MI6 and his old naval unit were read in for Myanmar! They were both on site. Do you really think he survived eighteen months of _torture_ without knowing what had to be done?" The sudden paleness of the detective clued her in. "You didn't know, did you?" She whispered.

"_Torture_?" Katsumoto whispered back and didn't know what to think. He knew Magnum and his friends had been held by the Taliban. Even if they had never specifically mentioned it, the imprisonment and their escape was public knowledge. What went on there, wasn't. Immediately, the Sako case came to mind. He'd always wondered how the P.I. had connected with the young kidnap victim when no one else had seemed to be able to. Suddenly, his stance wasn't feeling so self-righteous.

"Yes, torture! Where did you think all those scars came from? None of them will tell me any specific details but I assure you they were not receiving turn down service with a chocolate on their pillow each night!" She spat out. The sudden increased paleness of the detective clued her into the fact that he really didn't know, that he _hadn't_ seen the scars, that he wasn't pretending. That Magnum had kept this, too, from him. Not many people knew. She also remembered the Sako case, how he'd opened himself up to the young girl, no matter how painful the memories had been.

"I…"

"You need to put all your _personal_ concerns aside and be at the side of your friend as he _dies_!" She interrupted.

Katsumoto was taken aback again. Nothing he'd heard had indicated that Magnum was that bad off. The preliminary reports had simply said there'd been a break in and that the P.I. had been injured. "_Dies_? Aren't you being a bit melodramatic?" He asked, feeling like the ground beneath him had become porous.

"Yes, _dies_!" She paused. "He's…he's…not doing well." She knew her tone had the man in front of her floundering.

"What does that mean?" He sounded hesitant, almost as if he didn't want to know.

"He was stabbed several times, one of which nicked his liver. He was also beaten with a baseball bat." Both had been left at the scene, covered in blood and now in the hands of the HPD as evidence. "They broke four of his ribs, one puncturing his left lung. The doctors were able to fix both of those issues while dealing with significant blood loss. What they couldn't immediately fix, in his condition, was the damage to his head. He has a skull fracture and is in a coma right now. They…they aren't sure he'll make it. He's bleeding inside his skull and his brain is swollen." She really wished she hadn't looked that up on Google. Med MD was not her friend right now. "They're worried that they'll need to operate again. In his current condition, the chances of his surviving a second surgery are extremely small but if the bleeding doesn't resolve itself or the swelling gets worse, he won't survive without it. Even if they operate and he lives through it, there's a chance he might be permanently disabled." Her voice had slowly lowered, thick with unshed tears, her pain evident.

"I…"

"Yes, you said that before." Her voice was stronger and her contempt evident. "Now, what are you going to do?" Her words challenged him.

"Let's go!" He stood up and headed out, Juliet on his heels. He should have checked into things more carefully instead of nursing his own feelings of betrayal. He should have taken the case, not shunted it off to someone else. He'd thwarted every attempt the P.I. made to contact him over the last few weeks. Maybe if he hadn't, things would have turned out differently. He could only think that the attack had to do with whatever case Magnum was currently working on and that, if he'd allowed the man to pull him into it like he usually did, whoever did this might already be behind bars or at least the case would be solved and the motive for the attack would have been rendered moot. He felt sick to his stomach and incredibly selfish. If he'd just listened to Magnum's side of the story, learned that he'd had agencies from two countries backing him up in Myanmar, then maybe he could have put aside his feelings over the man not listening to his orders to not do anything. The CIA had certainly not deigned to bother telling him that little piece of information. Stupid spy need to know crap. He knew part of his issue was that he'd been left feeling foolish, having actually _thanked_ Magnum for listening to him for once, when the whole time he'd been doing nothing of the sort. He'd also been concerned that the man would charm him into trusting him again, something he hadn't wanted to do. It hurt too much when things went sideways, like it usually did with the retired SEAL.

He stopped at one of the desks and told the Officer on Duty where he was going. She nodded and then looked at Higgins. "Can you let Thomas know that we're pulling for him? That he's in our thoughts and prayers?" Juliet blinked a little, then nodded, while Katsumoto looked shocked. Apparently, the rest of the force was more informed than he, as to the seriousness of the other man's injuries. He also knew that most of the P.I.'s on the island were known by HPD and were almost universally disliked. It appeared Magnum had charmed at least some of the people here, although there were a couple who actively loathed him. He shook his head as he realized he was in the former category, to the point where he really did consider the man a friend. Maybe that's why the other man's actions had pained him so much. He shook off his introspectiveness and turned to head out again.

He and Juliet parted ways in the parking lot as she headed for the Ferrari. He got into his unmarked car and pulled out, the sports car almost immediately on his bumper. Then, the straight and narrow detective broke a minor rule. He reached out and turned the sirens on. You weren't allowed to use them for personal reasons, but he was worried that he wouldn't make it to the hospital on time or, worse, that neither would Higgins. She'd left her friend's side to come rip him a new one and talk some sense into him. If Magnum died while she was away doing so, he wasn't sure if the woman would ever forgive him. Truthfully, he wasn't sure if he would forgive himself.

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	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

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Katsumoto raced into the parking lot of the hospital, bleeding off some speed when he realized just how fast he was going, as the Ferrari entered right behind him. He slid into a parking space and turned off the sirens, immediately exiting the car. On his way here, his sense of urgency had skyrocketed, Higgins's worry infecting him. He turned to wait for her, only to find her already standing at the hood of his car, her stance tense and screaming impatience. Not saying anything, he simply nodded, and she turned. He started to follow and found himself having to almost jog to keep up with her. She made her way to the ICU with him in her wake. She skidded to a stop in front of one of the rooms and suddenly seemed reluctant to enter. He came up beside her and gently opened the door. Two sets of eyes tore away from their watch over the man in the bed to meet theirs.

"Katsumoto." T.C. said, his tone unsure.

"Calvin, Wright." He turned to look at the still figure in the bed and couldn't stop his exclamation. "Jesus!"

"You see I wasn't being overly dramatic now?" Juliet asked quietly.

"If anything, I think you understated the situation." He stared at Magnum and couldn't believe he was still alive. "Do you have any idea who…." He whispered.

"No. Although _you_ might have if you'd been involved from the beginning!" She responded, her anger at the detective still evident.

"I didn't know…"

"Because you didn't want to!"

"Juliet!" Rick said. "Enough!" His voice lowered. "This isn't helping Thomas." He sounded broken. He didn't think he could stand losing another brother, not like this. Thomas had survived so much, he needed to survive this too.

"I'm sorry." She sounded contrite. "Has…has there been any change?"

"No." T.C. was the one who answered. "And that's a good thing!" He was trying to stay positive. "The bleeding and swelling haven't gotten better, but they haven't gotten worse. The doctor's think if he can keep holding on like this, he might have a chance."

She searched his eyes, looking for any signs of deceit and found none. She felt the beginning of hope. Katsumoto walked up closer to the bed and stared down at the P.I. He felt an anger start deep in his belly. "What does HPD know so far?"

"We haven't heard. No one has told us a thing!" Rick responded.

The detective looked at him with a frown. "Who's investigating?"

"A Detective Jennings?" Rick replied.

"He's good, he'll work hard on the case."

"Maybe, but he's not you." Juliet said so quietly he almost didn't hear her.

He was stunned at the sentiment behind the words. At the confidence in him that existed behind it. T.C. asked what they were all wondering. "Are you going to take over the case?"

"No."

Rick stood up. "Why not?" Now _he_ was angry.

"Because I'm going to work this on my own. I'll let Jennings go through the official channels and I'll do my own investigation." He looked away from Rick and down at Magnum. "I owe him that much for the help he gave me when I investigated Stanley's death." He'd been told to stand down and he'd had no intention of doing so. Magnum had been by his side the whole way, refusing to be rebuffed. Insisting on helping wherever he could, even taking a blow to the head while they'd been searching for Vanessa's body from the cold case his old mentor had been investigating when he'd been murdered. Suddenly, he felt like the world's biggest hypocrite. "Now, tell me the whole story, from the beginning."

Juliet really didn't want to go through it again, two times was enough, _three_ if you counted the nightmare. Once to live it, once to dream about it to the ultimate worse conclusion, once to give her official statement. Still, if it helped, she would go recount it three thousand more times. She cleared her throat. "The dogs woke me up around 5:30. I got dressed and went out to find out what was bothering them. They were by the guest house. I went to investigate and found the door open. When I went in, it was apparent there'd been a fight, the house was a mess."

Katsumoto interrupted her. "You went in, even though they could still have been there?"

"I was armed, and I was careful." She raised her eyebrows at him, clearly asking if he really thought she was that stupid. Without waiting for a response, she continued. "I cleared the living room and went into the kitchen, which I thought was empty until I saw Magnum's foot sticking out from behind the counter. He…he was just lying there in a pool of blood, stabbed and pretty badly beaten, I wasn't even sure if he was still alive."

He interrupted again. "To be this badly beaten had to have taken time, especially if they were after something they thought Magnum had, information or whatever else. I know him, he wouldn't have given up anything voluntarily. They had to have been there for a while, not to mention moving around the grounds. Why didn't you hear the dogs barking earlier?"

"I've asked myself that same question, over and over. There were no alarms to indicate the gate had been opened and even then, the dogs would never have allowed strangers to walk around the grounds for long without attacking them. Still, we know Hannah managed to get onto the property and into the guest house. We found out she had cut the wires to the alarm on a small side gate. The dogs can only cover so much of the property at one time." She knew she sounded defensive, but the lads could only do so much and, if someone were determined enough, there were ways to get into just about anywhere. Hannah had had one destination in mind and there hadn't been a fight like last night. They _should_ have been alerted just by the noise.

Katsumoto remembered approaching the grounds when he'd found Hannah's car, not sure what property it was parked next to. That must be the same gate he was investigating when the dogs had come out of nowhere and scared the hell out of him. "Do you think whoever did this might have done something to the dogs?"

"They're trained not to take food from strangers, if you're thinking they were given drugged food."

"Maybe not, but what if the food were just lying there, unattended."

"They still wouldn't touch it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." She was, but now she was starting to wonder.

"Do you know if Jennings ordered a blood test on the dogs?"

"Not that I'm aware of but I haven't been back to the estate since they brought Thomas here. As we told you, the detective hasn't told us a bloody thing." Juliet replied.

"Ok, I'm going to do my own blood test on them. It may not do any good if they were drugged and it's metabolized already, but it's worth a shot. I'll get Dr. Cunha to do the tests. She has a soft spot for Magnum, even if she'd deny it to her dying breath." That elicited a few strained smiles around the room.

"Do any of you know if Magnum had a case? Something he was working on?" Katsumoto continued, in full detective mode.

Rick answered. "Just the usual. Suspected cheating husband. He followed the guy, got some pictures to prove it was true. From what he said, it wasn't that easy, guy was careful and, according to T.M., really paranoid."

"Do you know who it was?"

"No. Thomas is careful of his client's privacy and we never know much about his cases unless he needs our help. I do know he was kind of surprised as the guy was so prominent. The wife offered him triple his going rate and he said that she could well afford it, especially if she proceeds to divorce him based on the grounds of infidelity. Some kind of prenup." T.C. said.

"So, unknown client is a suspect. What about the pictures you said Magnum got? Where are they? If he's so prominent, one of us might recognize him."

"Not sure. I'm assuming they're still on his camera. Thomas was going to print them tomorrow, I mean… today..." he swallowed hard and then continued. "…and hand them over to the wife, along with the SD card." Rick said.

"Do any of you have any ideas as to who else might have done this if it wasn't the cheating husband? It might be related to a previous case or something from your military service." This was starting to sound familiar, just like when Thomas had been kidnapped to take two of Hannah's ex-cohorts to the Rosalita.

T.C. responded. "We can reach out to Captain Green." Déjà vu, all over again.

Rick grimaced. "Maybe we can reach out to Mac. She might be more amenable to helping Thomas out." T.C. nodded a quick affirmative.

Katsumoto took one more look at the man in the bed and reached into his pocket for his cell. He found Dr. Cunha's contact info and hit dial.

"Detective, what can I do for you?" She paused, then asked. "How's Magnum?" Her question was softly worded, and the worry came through loud and clear. He wasn't sure why he wasn't surprised that she'd somehow assumed he'd know. What did bother him was that the severity seemed to be widely known by everyone but him. Had he really had the blinders on so tight?

"He's hanging in." Now it was his turn to pause. "I have a favor to ask you."

"Of course."

"It's not through official channels."

Her next words hit him in the gut. "You're not working the case?" The shock in her voice made it even more difficult to get the next words out.

"I'm doing an unofficial investigation." Even to himself, it sounded like a cop out.

"Anything. What do you need?" He was reminded of what he'd said earlier, the good doctor had a soft spot for Magnum.

"I'd like you to meet me at Robin's Nest. I need you to take a blood sample from the dogs and run a test for drugs." He waited to hear that Jennings had already asked for the same and then realized the other detective would not be going through the medical examiner's office for this kind of request.

"I'll leave right now." She had other things to do but, in her mind, this took precedence. Lucky for them, she'd spent two summers as a veterinarian tech. She'd actually planned on becoming a veterinarian but had quickly discovered that her love of animals had made it too hard to see them broken and scared. Especially when they were hurt by the people who should have loved and protected them. She'd turned to human medicine and how she'd ended up a medical examiner was a strange and winding path.

"We'll meet you there." He hung up and looked at the tired group of friends who were staring at him with varying degrees of hope. It felt like a weight across his shoulders.

"Higgins, I need you to come with me. I doubt the dogs would submit to this test without you there and I need you to walk me through the events."

Juliet closed her eyes for a second, knowing she was going to have to relive this, _again_. Still, as before, if it helped Thomas, she was willing. She nodded and then looked at T.C. and Rick.

Rick smiled tiredly. "Go with him, find out who did this and we'll all go kick some ass." His look included the detective, who felt a bit of warmth finally steal back into him at being included.

She moved back over to Magnum's side and stood staring down at him for a second, running through her life before and after his explosion into it. She gave a small smile as she realized she wouldn't give up his unexpected, and at the time, completely unwanted, intrusion into it. "We're going to find out who did this, Thomas. They're going to pay." She promised. Turning back to the waiting trio, she let them have one of the first genuine smiles of the day. Turning to Katsumoto, she quirked an eyebrow and gestured towards the door with a shoulder.

He nodded in return and turned to leave. At the door, he stopped. Looking back at T.C. and Rick, he asked. "You'll keep us up to date?"

Rick nodded. "Of course."

The detective and the ex-MI6 agent left the room. There was silence for a moment and then Rick said. "I wouldn't want to be the guys who got in their crosshairs."

"Me neither, brother, me neither." T.C. responded.

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Katsumoto followed the Ferrari up to the front entrance and then through the gates. They could see members of the HPD moving around the guest house but kept going, ending up at the main house. The door opened and Kumu bustled out immediately, her worry evident. "Juliet?"

"He's still alive and holding his own, Kumu. The detective and I are going to do some investigation into what happened." Juliet replied.

Kumu smile warmly at the detective, unaware of the conflict that had led them here. It made Katsumoto feel squirmy. "Ms. Tuileta."

"Detective, it's good to see you." Underneath her simple words, he heard the same confidence in him that he'd heard from Wright, Calvin and Higgins. It made him even more determined to find the people who'd hurt Magnum.

"You too."

"Would you like something to drink?"

"No, thank you. I think we should get started." He looked up at the sky. "It's going to be dark soon." Magnum had been attacked sometime during the night, found early that morning and hastily transported to the hospital where he'd undergone immediate surgery. That was just over twelve hours ago and the first twenty-four were critical to an investigation. He didn't want to wait until tomorrow to do his own perusal of Magnum's home and the grounds.

"Very well. Detective Jennings has already been by to take my statement. There wasn't anything I could tell him as I wasn't here, and I haven't seen anything suspicious recently. I also showed him the footage from the cameras from overnight. If they saw anything, they didn't tell me." Her face fell. "He's a good man. Who would do something like this to him and why?" Her tone was sad and a little angry at the same time. She was old enough to have seen plenty of bad things happen, even to those she cared about, but she could never get used to it.

"There are a lot of people in this world who don't care about others, only themselves and what they want, no matter the cost to anyone else." Juliet responded quietly. "If there weren't, there wouldn't be a need for people like the detective, Magnum and I, to do the jobs we do."

Kumu nodded and looked at the detective again. "You'll find out who did this and make them pay, won't you." It wasn't a question and the slight underlying blood thirst surprised him. He still wasn't sure how the annoying P.I. seemed to worm his way into people's lives. He thought about other's he'd run into over the years and the first one who came to mind was Luther Gillis. He couldn't imagine doing anything to help that man, short of throwing water on him if he was on fire. Instead of answering, he simply nodded.

Juliet's phone pinged and she pulled it out. There was a request to allow someone in the gate. Opening the app, she saw Dr. Cunha staring into the camera. She pushed the button that opened the gate and they all turned to watch her drive up to them. Getting out of the car, Noelani opened the back door and pulled out her medical bag. Smiling at them, she asked. "Where are my patients?"

Kumu looked confused but Higgins just put her fingers to her lips and blew a shrill whistle. Within seconds, both Dobermans appeared at a full gallop, heading their way. She couldn't help but notice that they'd come from the direction of the guest house. She wondered if they were keeping an eye on the HPD officers that were still swarming over it or if they'd been keeping vigil on the last place they'd seen their favorite prey. They raced up to the group and then both sat down at her side. She patted them both on the head. "Good lads. Zeus, Apollo, this is Noelani. She's a doctor and is going to take a small sample of your blood. Behave for her." The detective raised an eyebrow as she explained things to the dogs.

Noelani just smiled and held out her hand for the dogs to sniff. When they'd had their fill, she gestured at the house. "I think this would be better done inside. It's cleaner that way." It didn't hurt that it also got them out of sight of the police officers, one of whom was watching them curiously, having recognized the medical examiner. She knew what she was doing wasn't illegal, but it could be construed as pushing her way into an investigation. Plus, she knew Katsumoto's own investigation wasn't exactly above board. His boss would not be thrilled to find out he'd gone off the reservation again. They all trooped inside, and she put her bag down, opening it to pull out her phlebotomy kit.

Both dogs sat quietly as she drew their blood. She carefully put the vials in her bag and pulled out a small pair of scissors and two small evidence bags. She quickly clipped a patch of hair from each dog, as close to the skin as she could get and stored each sample in a separate bag, marking it with the date and time, along with the dog's name. Looking up, she saw confusion on the faces watching her. She smiled and explained. "Some drugs will metabolize in the blood but leave trace amounts in the hair, especially barbiturates. Because the hair grows slowly, certain drugs can be found for months after all evidence is gone from the blood." She looked at Juliet and addressed her next words to the woman. "Don't worry, it will grow back." Higgins smiled in relief.

Putting everything away, Noelani stood up. Closing the bag, she turned to the group. "I'll get started on this right away and let you know what I find as soon as possible." She hesitated. "Should I let Detective Jennings know as well?"

Katsumoto took a second to answer. "No. Contact only me. I'll decide what I want to tell Jennings." She nodded and they all walked out of the house. Noelani got in her car and left. Juliet and Katsumoto turned and headed for the guest house, the dogs keeping pace. Kumu watched them go, noting the determination in both of their walks. Whoever had done this, had riled up the wrong people. If she wasn't so angry at the people who'd hurt one of her Ohana, she'd almost feel sorry for them. Almost. Turning, she went back into the house, wishing there was something she could do to help. Maybe she could, she thought. She pulled out her phone and began to make some calls. It surprised her how many of the people she contacted, immediately asked after Magnum. She put the word out that she was looking for information leading to finding the person or persons responsible. Everyone agreed to do what they could. At least she felt like she was contributing.

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	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

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Katsumoto, Higgins and the dogs made their way to the guest house. None of the HPD on site made an effort to stop them as they recognized the detective. Inside, they found Jennings going over the scene with the last of the CSU people, who were packing up. He looked up at their entrance and frowned. "Gordon, what are you doing here?" He was careful to keep any censure from his voice. He knew the other man was a good detective, but he also knew that he was friends with the victim. That made him a liability, in his mind.

"Tom, good to see you." It really wasn't, he'd been hoping the other detective wouldn't be here and he could intimidate any remaining HPD officers to let him poke around. "We're here to pick up some things for Magnum. And we might have some information for you." He'd worked it out in his head on the way over, just in case.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, Magnum's friends said he was working on a case for a woman to find out if her husband was cheating on her. They didn't know the name of his client, but they did say the husband was someone prominent on the island and that Magnum had gotten pictures of him with someone other than the missus. Did you find a camera here?" He asked the question casually. If the camera was here, HPD had it already. If it wasn't, then that would give a good indication that the client was behind this, as long as the perps hadn't just stolen it to pawn for quick money. Nothing about this case had a feeling of a burglary Magnum had interrupted. Any smart thief would have targeted the main house.

Jennings narrowed his eyes at the other man, knowing what was really going on. "No, no camera. Look, Gordon, I know this guy is a friend and you know Lt. Akana would tell you to stand down." He paused. "But I also know how I'd feel if this happened to a friend of mine. I'm not going to stop you from looking around, but you are _NOT_ to interfere in my investigation, is that understood?"

"Crystal." He and Jennings weren't friends, but they respected each other. Now his respect for the other man rose a few degrees. "Was anything else taken?"

Jennings looked at Higgins. "We're not sure. You're the majordomo for the estate, as well as a friend of the victim, right?"

"The victim's _name_ is Thomas Magnum." Juliet stressed. "And, yes, he is a friend. I can take a look around, see if anything has gone missing. Mr. Masters has a lot of valuable art and some of it is here, in the guest house. If this was a robbery gone bad, those pieces will be gone, and I'll know it."

"Good. Take a look, but don't touch anything. CSU has already been through and dusted for prints but there could still be something here that would help us. By the way, we'll need the prints of anyone who is here on a regular basis, to eliminate them from the ones we found. Magnum's are already on file due to his P.I.'s license as well as Gordon's from his police file. Who else should we be looking at?"

"Myself, Kumu, Rick Wright and Theodore Calvin will all have left prints here. There's also the cleaners and the gardeners. Thomas is friends with all of them and has them in for a cold drink when they're working."

"I'll need the names." Higgins rattled them off as Jennings wrote them down in his notebook.

"One more thing. We know the estate is alarmed, and no one should be able to get in without a code or being allowed in. We had our technical team look at the system and it seems to be in good working order. Your housekeeper, Ms. Tuileta, let us look at the footage from overnight, but we saw nothing out of the ordinary. How did the people who did this get in?"

"Yes, she told us she showed it to you. And we've been asking ourselves the same thing." Juliet replied. "I'm a fairly light sleeper, so the alarm going off would have woken me up immediately, not to mention that it also sends an alert to HPD. Nothing of the sort happened. We also have two guard dogs and neither one of them raised an alarm until early this morning, after everything was well over and done with. I have no idea how they got in, spent enough time here to…to…do that…and got back out." Her frustration was obvious.

"Okay, well, thank you. Now, if we could do a walk through to see if anything other than the camera is missing?"

"Of course." She started walking, carefully and deliberately avoiding the kitchen. She didn't want to see the dried pool of blood she knew would still be there. She'd have to get someone in to clean it up before Thomas came home. She tried to convince herself that he _would_ be coming home. She wanted to stay positive. In the living room, she paused and did a quick assessment as she surveyed the room, taking in the damage that had been done during the fight that had taken place. She'd only done a cursory glance that morning, more worried about Magnum than taking inventory. This was where anything of value would have been and everything was right where it should be, although covered in fingerprinting powder. She was actually amazed that none of the pieces had been destroyed and she itched to clean it all up, to erase all traces of the intrusion into her safe haven.

"Everything is here."

"So, the only thing of value missing is the camera? Could he have left it somewhere else? At the main house or in his car, maybe?"

"No, he didn't bring it over there. He does sometimes ask for help on his cases." Katsumoto snorted at that understatement and she glared at him a bit. Turning back to Jennings, she continued. "He didn't with this case, so there would be no need for him to bring his camera over. As for his car, it's Mr. Masters and I've been driving it today. The camera is not in it." She hadn't checked the boot though and would be doing so as soon as they got back to the main house.

"How about his computer or laptop? We didn't find one. Is that missing as well?"

"No, Magnum doesn't have a laptop, he just steals mine whenever he needs one." She shared a look with Katsumoto, remembering another conversation where she'd said pretty much the same thing to him. "Anything to do with his current case wouldn't be on it."

"Very well. How about his bedroom? You said you were here to pick up some things for him, right?" His question held his opinion that it had just been a ruse. From what he understood, Magnum wouldn't be needing any of his clothes in the near future, if ever. He hadn't been to the hospital to see for himself as he knew he couldn't get a statement from the unconscious man and felt his time was better served being here. He'd sent Officer Kai to take the statement from Ms. Higgins and the man had given him an earful of just how bad off the P.I. was, describing in detail the number of machines and wires he was hooked up to, the bruises and bandages. For Magnum's sake, and for that of the people standing in front of him, he really hoped that this case didn't turn from assault and battery to murder.

Trooping upstairs, Higgins hesitated at the bedroom door. She felt like she was intruding, even though she knew HPD had already been in there and gone over it with a fine-tooth comb. Katsumoto gave her an encouraging smile, understanding how she felt as he was feeling the same. Together, they entered and stopped. The detective had never been in this room and he found himself giving it a careful review. Somehow, it suited the retired SEAL.

There were a couple pictures of Magnum, Wright, Calvin and Nuzo, dressed in their uniforms, on the bureau. One was in what looked to be Afghanistan, the men wearing desert camo, a beige military vehicle behind them. The other was of the four of them in dress uniform at some event or another. There was one of Magnum, Higgins and Kumu taken at the estate, all three laughing at the camera. What almost made his jaw drop open, was a picture of Magnum and himself, both holding beers and grinning at something or someone, off camera. He'd had no idea someone had snapped a picture of him at one of the barbeques he'd attended on the estate. That someone had, and that Magnum had had it printed and framed, to be displayed in his home along with those of his best friends, shocked him.

Juliet followed his eyes and her eyebrows raised at the pictures as well. The ones of his best friends, the men he called brothers, were to be expected. But her, Kumu and Katsumoto? That she didn't expect, and it caused a warm feeling deep inside her. She shook herself and looked around the rest of the room. In the corner, was an olive-green military trunk with his name and rank stamped on the side, battered and worn. It, too, had remnants of fingerprint powder on it and that made her feel a little sick at the thought of someone pawing through his things, the mementos he kept of his time in service. Jennings saw the change in her expression and followed her eyes, understanding immediately what had upset her.

"We were very careful, and very respectful, when we opened his trunk." He said quietly.

She tore her eyes away and met his, searching them, looking for any hint he was lying, but only finding sympathy. "Thank you." She responded just as quietly.

"He has quite the collection of medals, including several purple hearts. Maybe he should learn to duck." He tried to lighten the mood a little with a joke, but it fell flat, just how flat he realized when Higgins rounded on him.

"He and his team were held by the Taliban for eighteen months, during which time he was tortured for information again and again." She hissed. "He deserved more than a medal for what he went through."

Jennings blanched and held up his hands. "I'm sorry, I had no idea. I meant nothing by it. It just seemed a little…heavy in here. It was just a joke and I apologize for it."

Higgins relented as she realized he was right, the atmosphere in the room was heavy. It seemed to be waiting for someone, someone she worried would never return to fill the emptiness. She took a deep breath. "I apologize as well. It's been a long, tiring, traumatizing day and I shouldn't take it out on you." She also didn't want to antagonize the lead investigator on the case, not if she wanted the man to give her and Katsumoto any information.

"Well, we both apologized, so let's move on, shall we?" Jennings cleared his throat. "Does it look like anything is missing here?"

"I don't think so, but then this isn't an area of the guest house I spend any time in and there is none of Robin's artwork kept up here."

"Okay." He turned to Katsumoto, who'd been watching their interaction with interest. The immediate defense of Magnum by Higgins should have surprised him, but it didn't. There was just something about the retired SEAL that engendered strong feelings, both good and bad. Little in between. "Gordon?" Jennings interrupted his thoughts.

"Sorry. No. Never been up here so wouldn't know if anything is missing. It doesn't really look like it."

"Agreed. Let's go back downstairs." They all seemed glad to be leaving the room and no one thought to pick up anything to take to the hospital, belying the excuse Katsumoto had given for their even being there.

Once back on the ground level, they went their separate ways, each side agreeing to keep the other informed, to a degree. Jennings watched the two as they walked away, with the scary Dobermans following them. It didn't escape his notice that they were _not_ headed back to the main house. He sighed and wandered back inside for one last walk through, hoping something would jump out at him, but nothing did. He was also hoping the other two would not get in his way.

Outside, Katsumoto and Higgins began a search of the property, moving along the wall that shielded the estate from the road outside. They knew HPD had been over the whole estate and it was unlikely that they'd find something that had been missed, still one never knew. A little over a half hour later, the sun was beginning to get lower in the sky and they knew they'd have to give up for the night. Turning to head back to the main house, Zeus stood in their way, whining. "Zeus, what's the matter?" Juliet asked. In response, the dog walked over to Apollo, who was waiting for him beside the wall. The two dogs turned and began to hurry further away from the house, one or the other looking back over their shoulders to see if the humans were following. Higgins and Katsumoto looked at each other and both shrugged as they began to go where the dogs led. Ten minutes later, both dogs stopped. Apollo went up to a gate that was almost hidden in the fading light, sniffed the ground and then began barking.

Katsumoto walked up to it and turned on the flashlight on his phone, searching the ground around him. He found several footprints in the worn dirt by the gate opening, coming in and then going back out. The tread didn't match the HPD standard issued footwear. They had to be fairly fresh as there'd been rain yesterday afternoon, strong enough to wash away faint tracks like these. He snapped a few flash shots, hoping the light was good enough to get a clear picture. He looked through what he'd taken, satisfied they were as good as he was going to get. On the way back to the house, they'd stop at Magnum's if anyone was still there, and tell them what they'd found. If the house was empty, he had Jennings number. This wasn't something he was going to keep from the other man. He turned back to Higgins only to find her a few feet away, watching as Zeus pawed at the ground, growling. Shooing him away, she knelt next to the plantings and began digging around. A minute or so later, she sat back on her heels and held something up by the tips of her fingers, to the detective.

"Is that…"

"Yes, it's a tranquilizer dart. Now we know why the lads didn't alert us to the intruders."

"So, they tranked the dogs, somehow disarmed the alarm, managed to stay off the cameras, got into Magnum's home, did…what they did, then left again without being seen and rearmed the alarm?"

"So it would seem." They stared at each other. Finally, she said what both of them were thinking. "Whoever did this, was well trained and knew exactly what they were doing."

"Sounds suspiciously like Black Ops kind of stuff. Military?"

"Maybe." She really didn't want to think that someone from any military had done this. "Maybe mercenaries. I've known several that would be capable of this kind of thing." She'd worked with mercenaries, hell even worked _as_ a mercenary on one of her undercover ops for MI6. She knew what they were capable of. Some were good men who were just trying to put their training to use once out of whatever military they were in. Others, however, were in the life because they liked the ability to do as they pleased with no consequences, as long as they didn't get caught. Those types were usually sociopathic with no remorse for the things they did, often going beyond what they'd been hired to do.

The brutality of the beating Thomas had taken sounded more like them. Military were more about the operation, not about hurting someone for the sake of hurting them, and the beating had all the earmarks of someone who'd enjoyed it. She stood up and held out the dart to the detective. He pulled out a handkerchief and took it, carefully wrapping it up. Chances were good that these guys were too smart to leave any fingerprints behind, but he wasn't going to take that chance. He was also going to keep the handkerchief when he handed the dart over to HPD. There should be enough trace residue left for Dr. Cunha to identify what was used and compare it to whatever results she got from the dogs. Handing over the dart along with the probable location of ingress and egress, would also go a long way towards convincing Jennings that they weren't going to get in the way, that they'd turn over anything they found, until it was time to keep it for themselves.

Turning, they began to walk back towards the house, watching to see if the dogs would object. Neither did, they just trotted in front of them without a backwards glance. Juliet wondered, were they angry at what had been done to them and that's why they'd led them to where they knew the people who didn't belong, and who had done something bad to them, had entered the estate grounds? Or were they trying to help Magnum? Or was she just imagining things after the horrific day she'd had? She finally gave up wondering, knowing there was no way she'd ever figure out what their motivation had been.

Back at the guest house, Jennings was the only one left. He'd lingered, keeping an eye open for Higgins and Gordon to return. He wasn't sure why he felt the need, but he'd learned early in his career to listen to the little voice inside his head. He was rewarded when he saw them come out of the trees, the sky brilliant with reds and oranges overhead as the sun began to sink out of sight. Both made a beeline for him and he stepped outside to wait, turning to lock the door behind him.

"Gordon, Ms. Higgins. Did you find something?"

"Yeah, Tom, we did. Or rather the dogs did. We found where they entered and exited the estate, as well as this." He held out his hand with the dart in it, opening the edges of the handkerchief.

"Well I'll be damned, that's a tranquilizer dart."

"Yes, we think that's how they got past the dogs." Juliet said. "We also found footprints near one of the gates that we rarely, if ever, use. Detective Katsumoto doesn't think it was any of the HPD officers searching the estate today, says the treads don't match."

"Well…" He wasn't sure what to say. A small part of him was pissed that his men hadn't found what they had within an hour, even after they'd been searching all day. The bigger part was just glad to have additional information, no matter where it came from. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an evidence bag. Opening it, he held it out. Katsumoto hesitated a moment.

"You'll keep us in the loop if you turn up prints or anything else worthwhile from this?"

"Yes, within reason."

"Good enough." He dropped the dart in the bag and Jennings sealed it shut. Carefully folding up the handkerchief, Katsumoto nonchalantly stuck it back in his pocket. Jennings didn't appear to notice, but the other two had a feeling the detective saw more than he let on.

"We'll check out the gate first thing tomorrow morning." Jennings looked up at the clear night sky. "We're not expecting any more rain so the tracks should still be there in the morning. We wouldn't get much tonight anyway."

"Agreed." Katsumoto replied. "I'll email you the pictures I took on my phone."

"Thank you. Well, I guess I'll get going then." He took the time to look both of them in the eyes. "You're not to go into the guest house. It's still an active crime scene."

"Not a problem." Juliet said. She really didn't want to step a foot back in there, at least not until Thomas was safely home.

"See that it isn't." Jennings took one last look at the other two and then turned to head towards his car. He still had a long night ahead of him, looking through what information they had so far. He would work hard on this case, just like he did on any other. He didn't know the P.I. but he'd heard rumors. Some were that the man was damn good at his job, others were that he skirted to close to the edge of legality, putting cases at risk. He respected Katsumoto and would take his lead from him, unless it was time to cut the other man out. He waved a sketchy goodbye, got in his car and pointed it towards headquarters.

Behind him, Higgins and Katsumoto stood still, the dogs beside them. They watched the car make its way down the drive towards the gate. When it disappeared through it and the gates closed again, the detective looked towards his companion and said again. "He's good at his job and will do everything he can to find out who did this."

"I know." Higgins replied. Generally, she was a good judge of character. All the vibes she's gotten from Jennings said he was a good man and a good cop. Still, since Magnum had come on the scene, she'd begun to question that ability. She'd been so sure that he was a hanger on, taking advantage of his relationship with Robin Masters. It turned out she'd been wrong on that front. She remembered when he'd been in the hospital after Hannah had shot him, trying to make off with the gold bars. When she'd told him that she could have been warmer, more welcoming, he'd grinned and told her he'd have hated that. That he'd had someone in his life that hadn't been who she'd seemed, and he was done with that. Sighing, she turned to Katsumoto. "Let's go check out the video footage."

"Jennings said he viewed it and saw nothing."

"Yes, and his men scoured the estate and missed the tracks by the gate and the dart. Granted, we had an edge in the form of the lads. I'd like to hope we'll have the same luck with the footage."

"Lead on."

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	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

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On their way back to the main house, Higgins detoured to the Ferrari, opening the boot and searching it carefully for Magnum's camera. As she'd suspected, it wasn't there. Closing it a little harder than necessary, she turned to the detective. "No camera."

"Did you expect there to be?"

"No, not really. I just had to check to be sure."

He nodded and they turned to head inside. Once there, Katsumoto paused. "Will you need me for this?"

"No, why?"

"I'd like to get the handkerchief to Dr. Cunha."

"Go, I'll start looking through the footage."

"I should only be gone about an hour."

"That's fine. I'll be in the office when you get back."

Nodding, the detective left to head to the Coroner's office. He was sure Noelani would still be there, working on the samples she'd taken from the dogs. He was proven right when he walked in and found her running the tests.

"Detective, I don't have anything for you just yet. I would have called if I had."

"I know Noelani, I just wanted to drop off something else that might help." He quickly handed her the handkerchief, updating her on what they'd found and where, along with his and Higgins suspicions. She nodded.

"I'll start on this as soon as I'm done with the other tests I'm running now. I should have something within the hour." She paused. "Have you heard anything about Magnum?"

He shook his head. "No, nothing new." At her crestfallen look, he smiled at her. "Hey, no news is good news. Right?"

"I suppose."

"Noelani, thank you for this."

"Anything I can do to help find these monsters."

"I'm sure Magnum will appreciate it." She blushed at his words.

"I'm not doing it just for him. Anyone who would hurt those two beautiful dogs deserves to be punished. What if they'd used the wrong dosage? It could have killed them!" He thought she was protesting a bit too much and wondered if she didn't have a little crush on the private investigator. He would never embarrass her by teasing her about it, so just took his leave, hurrying back to the estate. When he got there, he made his way to the office to find Higgins bent over the laptop, watching film. He settled in next to her to help, an extra pair of eyes looking for anything that would lead them to the people who'd hurt their friend.

His phone rang an hour later. The caller id indicated it was the Coroner's office. He answered. "Katsumoto."

"Detective, it's Noelani. I've got the results for you. The dogs blood sample and hair, along with the handkerchief, are positive for ketamine."

"Ketamine. That makes sense." Juliet looked up at his words, her fury that someone had used the drug on her lads, obvious on her face.

"Well, it is the most widely used anesthetic in veterinary medicine. It seems like they were careful at least. From what I can tell, the dosage was enough to knock them out, but low enough to not do any lasting harm."

"Animal lovers? Well, we have that at least. Thanks, Noelani."

"You're welcome. Keep me up to date on what's going on?"

"Will do. Talk to you later." He hung up and updated Higgins on the test results. The fact that the dosage wasn't meant to do anything but knock the dogs out for a few hours, did nothing to alleviate her anger, although she supposed she should be grateful that they hadn't just killed them. She wouldn't have expected anyone who could do what they did to Thomas, to flinch at the idea of killing the two dogs. She nodded and turned back to the laptop.

After another three hours of going through the footage from all the cameras, Juliet's eyes were dry and gritty. She caught herself rubbing them yet again and sighed. Katsumoto had been watching her and finally figured she'd had enough. "Maybe you should take a break. How long has it been since you've gotten any rest?" They'd both picked at the sandwiches Kumu had made for them and he'd made sure she drank plenty of fluids, although he didn't think she'd even noticed when he kept replacing the water bottle she was using. It wouldn't do for either of them to get dehydrated, especially as Higgins had been up since early that morning and had been under a lot of stress since then.

She rolled her shoulders and turned her attention back to the laptop. "I'm fine. I just want to go through the footage from around the gate one more time."

"How many times have you looked it already?"

She refused to answer, knowing she was becoming a bit obsessive. Watching the film with part of her attention on the detective, actually had a positive result. She sat up straight and stopped the film, then rolled it back, frowning.

"What?"

She held up a finger and he subsided, knowing that she'd tell him in her own time. She watched for a few more minutes and then sat back. "Did you ever see the movie Speed?"

"With Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock? Sure, I think everyone's seen it."

"Do you remember when they did the video loop, what Keanu told everyone?"

He thought for a moment and then the light went on. "No big movements. When that woman dropped her purse, it got recorded. When they played it back, that's what alerted Dennis Hopper's character to what was going on. Did you find something like that in the footage?"

She queued up the video and turned the laptop towards him, hitting play. He watched the gentle movement of the leaves on the trees and was just about to ask what she'd seen when the dogs appeared on the screen. One of them, he couldn't tell them apart, lifted his leg and watered the trunk of one of the trees. Then they disappeared off the screen. He looked up at her and she leaned over to hit fast forward. Ten minutes later, the dogs appeared again and one peed on the tree again, ten minutes after that, the same thing happened.

"So, that's how they kept off camera. Takes some pretty savvy technical expertise to hack into a video surveillance system, copy footage and then put it on a loop. Kind of sloppy of them to leave the dogs in though. How long did it last?"

"I'm not sure. I wasn't looking for it, so I'll have to go over the rest of the evening's logs again. If I were to hazard a guess, until they left with whatever they came looking for. As for leaving the footage with the dogs, they may not have noticed or just figured we wouldn't see it, that we'd do what HPD did and just look for evidence of someone entering or exiting the property or Magnums' place." She hit fast forward once again and they watched the dogs appear over and over until the time stamp said 2:08, when they stopped showing up. Higgins heart dropped. "That means Magnum laid in that kitchen, all alone, hurt and bleeding, for over three hours before the dogs woke me up." She whispered.

Katsumoto patted her shoulder awkwardly. "But they did, and you got him the help he needed."

"Maybe, but would he be as bad off if I'd gotten to him sooner?"

"It's not your fault. You can't go back and change things. What we need to focus on now, is finding out who did this and make sure they get the punishment they deserve."

"Jail and a trial?" She wasn't sure if she'd be able to let it get to that, especially if Magnum didn't survive. No, she needed to stay positive and think that, not only would he make it, he'd be able to testify if this actually got as far as a trial.

"Yes, jail and a trial. We don't go all vigilante on this." Part of him wanted to do just that, to hurt them like they'd hurt his friend. That brought him up short as he realized Magnum had become the kind of friend that he'd go to those kinds of lengths for, even though he was still mad at him for lying about Myanmar. When had that happened?

Higgins didn't respond, figuring that way she wouldn't be lying to the detective. She went back to the footage and pulled up other cameras around the estate. She ran through all of it, looking for any other anomalies, but not finding any.

"I think they only looped the footage for the cameras they knew they'd appear on." She frowned.

"That would indicate some knowledge of the layout of the estate and where the cameras were positioned, wouldn't it?" He wondered now if this was an inside job.

"Yes, but we give several tours of the estate each week. In fact, we had one yesterday."

"You think one of them went on the tour in order to case the place?"

"It's possible. Let me pull up the footage from yesterday. The tour was around 2:00. We keep a list of anyone who signs up, but we don't check ids when they show up. I highly doubt he, or they, would have given their real names. I'll send the list to Detective Jennings all the same." She opened the file for the previous day and fast forwarded, looking for the right timestamp. When she didn't find it, she sat back with an exasperated sigh. "It's gone."

"Gone? What do you mean, gone?"

"I mean, when they hacked the system, they must have deleted the footage of the tour."

"Well, they'd only do that if they knew they were on it. We're on the right track. Damn it, that would have been extremely helpful."

"Yes, well, hopefully they aren't aware that the footage is backed up to Robin's cloud account hourly." She opened the account and signed in. Accessing the file for yesterday, she began to search through it.

"You back up the footage hourly? That's a lot of data."

She looked over at him. "It was Magnum's idea. When he came in as security consultant, he actually did quite a bit of good work on bringing the system up to date. He replaced the old cameras with high resolution ones, repositioned some to get a better view of the estate and added some additional ones, including views of outside the walls. He talked Robin into the upload with the argument that having a copy would be a good idea in case our computer system was compromised. It does take up a lot of space, as you said, but Mr. Masters can well afford it. The footage is only kept for a rolling four-week period. At four weeks and one day, it gets deleted automatically. The amount of space used is actually quite static."

"Really? Huh, I guess he does have some uses." He smiled at her, letting her know he was only joking. She smiled back, although it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"He is a trained SEAL and worked in Naval Intelligence. They don't let just anyone do that kind of work." She chided gently. Although she would never admit it to Magnum, she was really was aware that the man was intelligent and had good instincts. Unfortunately, those instincts often got him, and the rest of them, into trouble. She went back to the laptop and slowed the footage at the 2:00 mark and found it intact. "Gotcha."

"It's there?"

"It is. Now, let's see who went on the tour yesterday." Opening the drawer of the desk, she pulled out the log where they kept the list of who toured the estate and when. There were some very valuable pieces on the estate and the log and cameras were good tools if there was ever a break in. Another thing Magnum had instituted when he got here. Before that, they really had no idea who came and went, people just showed up for the tour and were allowed in. Now, they had to make an appointment and be checked off. Whoever hurt Magnum wouldn't be the first ones to tour a home or museum to get the lay of the land, figure out where the cameras were, case the entrances and exits, all with plans of coming back after hours. She leafed through it and found yesterday's tour list.

"Okay, let's see if we can match up names to faces." She went through the footage and whenever someone appeared on camera, she stopped it and took a screenshot. At the end, she had eight pictures, which matched the list, but one man stood out to her. He wasn't paying much attention to Kumu as the woman talked about the property or the art. Instead, he spent more time looking at the trees outside and the ceilings inside. Obviously, to her anyway, marking the location of the cameras. "I think we have our first suspect." She pointed him out to Katsumoto.

"I don't recognize him, but that's not overly surprising. Any idea what name he gave?"

She brought up the list and started at the beginning of the screenshots. Four were obviously a husband and wife, with their two teenage children, who didn't look thrilled to be there. She'd had a hard time getting a good facial shot of them, as they'd spent most of the tour with their faces buried in their phones. She looked at the log. "Well, I think we can safely say those are the O'Brien's. John, Maureen, Stephanie and Peter." She checked them off. The next appeared to be a local and she found the name Akamu Kealoha and checked him off. The next two were middle aged women who were obviously on the tour together. She quickly checked off Carol and Pat Hanson. That left one name and she huffed her frustration. "Seriously? Arthur Curry?"

"Do you know him?" Katsumoto asked, surprised by her attitude.

"Not a big comic book fan?" She asked. He shook his head, looking confused. "Arthur Curry is the real name of Aquaman."

"It is? Still, there must be plenty of real people with the same name. It's not exactly unusual."

"No, but I find it hard to believe he would have given his real name and it would be a bit of a coincidence if he did and it happened to be the same as a comic book character."

"I suppose. Okay, so what do we know? This Curry character came to the estate yesterday and cased it. Then that night, someone hacked into the security system, recorded the footage they needed on specific cameras, looped it to play continuously while they were here, deleted the tour footage, disarmed the alarms, tranquilized the dogs, got to Magnum, took whatever they were looking for, which at this point seems pretty clear was his camera, left, reset the alarms and the cameras? Seems like a lot of work."

"Yes, somewhat excessive. Why not just take him when he was away from the estate?"

"Maybe they didn't have time? Rick and T.C. said Magnum had just finished up his case, got the money shot and was ready to turn it over. If he wasn't working on a new case, he probably hung around the property all day. If this isn't related to that case, I have no ideas."

"He did stay here all day. He got in my way on more than one occasion and then we had dinner together. I think he was bored." She downloaded the footage from the tour to send on to Jennings. She was just about to close out of the app when something caught her eye. "Cheeky bastard!"

"What?"

"Magnum has been using Robin's cloud account to store his own stuff." She pointed to the screen to show that there were files posted that were named differently than the camera footage, footage that was supposed to be the only thing stored on the account. He looked at it and then turned to her. They stared at each other for a few seconds.

"Do you think…." Katsumoto began.

"I do."

"What's the most recently uploaded file?"

She sorted the list by date modified and one popped to the top, timestamped yesterday afternoon. "This is the last one, named Seaver."

"His client?"

"Maybe." She clicked on the file and, when opened, it proved to be pictures as they'd hoped. She opened the first one to find a shot of a well-dressed man getting into a Porsche.

"I know him. That's Ronald Seaver, founder and CEO of Seaver Technology Group. They're one of the biggest technology companies in the country, let alone Hawaii. They're into everything, including government contracts." He stood up to pace the room, nervous energy bleeding off him.

"So, Magnum's client was Seaver's wife and she was looking for evidence he was cheating on her. Magnum found it. Didn't Rick say he was going to turn the pictures over to her _today_?" Higgins asked.

"He did. Still, seems a little over the top to get back some pictures of him with someone other than his wife. He's worth millions of dollars, he could give her half and still be an extremely wealthy man. His personal reputation would take a hit, but I hardly think that's worth all the effort they put into getting that camera. Not to mention the whole beating someone almost to death." He immediately wished he could take back that last statement when he saw the excitement of what they'd found drain from her eyes. He moved behind her, put his hands on her shoulders and squeezed.

"Hey, he's going to make it. He's too damn stubborn to do otherwise. We've been here for hours and haven't heard anything from the hospital, which means he's hanging in. You know those two would have called immediately if he'd taken a turn for the worse."

"I know. I just…it's just not right. To go through everything he did in Afghanistan, to survive being shot by the woman he thought he'd marry, the whole trip to Myanmar…to be injured so badly over a stupid prenup, by a man who, as you said, could easily afford it. It's wrong."

"It is, but we now have information that Jennings can use to get the people responsible. Let's take a look at the rest of the photos, see if we can figure out who the other woman is."

She nodded and went back to the laptop, moving through the pictures one at a time. She stopped when she found one of Seaver and a familiar face. "Well, at least we can connect him to the tour. He obviously knows our Arthur Curry." The picture showed the two men leaving a hotel in downtown Honolulu. Katsumoto clenched his fists as he stood behind her. She continued to scroll through the photos and then stopped, frowning at the screen.

"Did you find something interesting?" He asked.

Juliet frowned deepened and then she enlarged the image of Seaver and an Asian man. She enlarged it again, this time focusing on the other man. Sitting back a little, she turned to the detective. "You said this Seaver has military contracts?"

"Yes. It's pretty common knowledge. He likes to brag about it. You know, hey, look at us, even the government trusts us."

"And how do you think your government would react if they had a picture of Seaver meeting with a known MSS agent?"

"China's Ministry for State Security? I think they'd be very interested, and I highly doubt Mr. Seaver would have much of a company left when they were done with him, not to mention he might never see the light of day again, as he'd likely end up in jail for treason."

"Somewhat more of a motive to get that information than simple philandering, wouldn't you say?"

"A hell of a lot more. So, Seaver's wife hires Magnum to prove her husband is being unfaithful, which he is. Magnum tails the guy for a few days and gets the evidence she needs. He tells her he has it and will turn it over the next day. She, what? Runs her mouth off at the husband? Tells him she's had him followed and knows he's cheating, that she'll photographic evidence by the next day? He plays over the last few days and realizes someone might have an incriminating photo of him with a Chinese spy? He figures out who the P.I. was the wife hired and launches an all out attack to get the photos back?" Higgins nodded. "Do you think Magnum knew what he had?"

"I doubt it. Just because he worked Naval Intelligence and with the CIA, doesn't mean he'd know every spy for every country by sight. The only reason I recognized him is because I had a run in with him during my MI6 days. Pure, unadulterated luck, or maybe fate, if you believe in that kind of thing. Still, Seaver wouldn't want to take any chances of the wrong person seeing a photo like this." She looked at him. "We're going to have to get the Feds involved."

"Agreed. Let's send what we have to Jennings and let him deal with it." He looked at his watch. "It's 11:30, we could both use some sleep."

Juliet was shocked, she had no idea it was that late. She'd been running on adrenalin all day and just knowing the time left her suddenly feeling exhausted. "I'll send him what we have now through secure email and then call the hospital to bring the boys up to speed and…to find out how he's doing. They must be wondering where we've been." She paused. "Other than the photo we have of Seaver with Zhāng, which will interest the Feds, everything else we have is circumstantial. Nothing that would hold up in court. So, one of his friends or employees took a tour of Robin Master's estate. So what? He's a fan of the White Knight books. There's nothing that links him to the attack on Thomas."

"I know, but we have more than we did this morning. Now, why don't you make that call and get some rest. I'll sack out on the couch. It's too late to head home now anyway." She knew he was just saying that, that he wanted to be here for her. She appreciated it and wouldn't call him on his pretty obvious lie. Picking up her cellphone, she found the contact for Rick and hit dial. It was picked up on the first ring.

"Higgy? You okay?"

She shook her head at the fact that he was worried about her when one of his best friends was practically at death's door.

"I'm fine. How…how is he?"

"We actually got some good news for a change! The doctor says the swelling is beginning to go down a little. He won't come right out and say Thomas is going to be okay, he used words like cautiously optimistic and reminded us they won't know if there was any brain damage until he wakes up, if he wakes up. He will though, I just know it."

"That's great news, Rick!" Katsumoto gestured to her to put it on speaker. "Detective Katsumoto is here with me. I'm going to put you on speaker."

"K."

She flicked the button that would allow the detective to hear the conversation and filled him in on what Rick had told her. The relief that passed over his face made her smile at him and he looked a little uncomfortable at what he might have revealed about his feelings for the retired SEAL.

"Wright." He said

"Katsumoto. What have you guys been doing since this afternoon?" He wondered if he heard a little bit of condemnation in the other man's voice. He was sure they wondered why neither of them had been back to the hospital.

"We've been pretty busy. We think we know what this was about and who was behind it. Unfortunately, the evidence is too circumstantial right now."

"Fill us in. T.C. is here. I'll put you on speaker as well."

"Hey guys." T.C.'s deep voice rumbled out of the speaker. "What do you have?

Between the two of them, they filled in their friends on their afternoon, and night's, labor. They both heard the anger in Rick's voice when he asked what they were going to do about it. Not only had this man had their friend brutally beaten, Seaver had gone against everything they stood for, everything they spent their time in the service trying to protect. Seaver had betrayed his country, and that was not acceptable.

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	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

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After ending the call with Katsumoto and Higgins, both T.C. and Rick stared at each other for a few minutes, processing what they'd learned. Finally, Rick huffed out a small laugh. "Only Thomas could take a job to tail a cheating husband and end up uncovering a likely case of treason."

T.C. laughed in return then sobered. "Yeah, and it could cost him everything." He'd tried to stay positive, but he was really worried that this time Magnum wouldn't pull through. That he'd used up all of his nine lives, then smiling a little at the memory that his friend was allergic to cats.

Knowing where his friend was heading, Rick put his hand on the other man's shoulder and squeezed. "Now, none of that. Thomas is a fighter. He'll get through this."

"I hope so, my brother. I sure as hell hope so. I'm just so damn tired of losing members of my family."

"I hear you." They were both quiet for a while, then Rick stirred. "Guess we should call Mac and tell her we know it's not related to anything we did in the service." They'd called her after Katsumoto and Higgins had left for the estate. The woman had been furious when she'd heard what had been done to Magnum and had promised to look into everything she could think of. As Naval Intelligence, they also knew she'd be interested in the connection of the CEO of a tech company with government contracts, to a known Chinese operative. Something they had every intention of telling her, even knowing the Feds would most likely be involved by the next day. Rick pulled out his cell and found her contact.

"Kind of late, don't you think?" T.C. asked, pointedly looking at his watch which showed just after midnight.

"You know Mac, she's a night owl. Besides, she was angry enough about this to want to work on it around the clock." T.C. nodded, realizing it was more than likely the woman was still up and working on the case. Rick pushed the button to dial her cell.

She picked up on the first ring. "Rick? Magnum?" He could hear the fear in her voice and realized what she must be thinking. That the reason behind him calling so late was to give her bad news. Damn, he should have thought of that.

"No! No, that's not why I'm calling, Josie." He deliberately used her given name. "He's holding his own, even doing a tiny bit better, according to his doctor. I'm sorry calling so late gave you the wrong idea!"

"That's okay, I'm just glad he's still with us."

"Us too."

"I'm sure. Now, why are you calling me after midnight?"

"We have some intel we think you might be interested in. First, we're pretty sure this whole thing is related to Thomas's latest case, not something from back in the day."

"Well, that's good. Does HPD have someone in custody?"

"Not yet. All the evidence is circumstantial and, if what we now suspect is true, they may not be able to arrest him even if they get the proof."

"Why the hell not? What's going on Rick?"

"You ever hear of Seaver Technology Group?"

"Sure." Mac was a tech geek and knew most of what was going on in the tech world. "Big company, doing some very innovative work. They also have several important contracts with both the Navy and Air Force. This is somehow related to them?"

"Yeah. Ever hear of an MSS agent named Cheng Zhāng?"

"I have." Now her voice was guarded. She knew who he was, he was one of China's top operatives, specializing in foreign technology. Her specialty was to track people like him and stop whatever they were trying to do.

"He's in Hawaii."

"How do you know that?" He heard some rustling as Mac pawed through some of the folders on her desk. Finding the one she wanted, she opened it. "Latest intel shows him in Berlin."

"Latest intel is wrong. Thomas got a picture of him meeting with Ronald Seaver, CEO of Seaver Technology, within the last few days."

"Oh, crap."

"Yeah, exactly."

"I've got to let Greene know." She sighed, knowing he was going to want to know how she got the information and also knew he wouldn't be too happy that she'd been helping to try to find out who'd hurt Magnum, on his dime. "Can you get me a copy of that picture?"

"I'll have Higgins send it to you."

"Did Magnum know what he had?" She'd like to think he'd have turned to her if he had.

"We're pretty sure that he didn't. He would've been a hell of lot more careful if he had, instead we think he was blindsided by the whole thing."

"So, how do you know it's Zhāng in this picture?"

"Um…" He wasn't sure if Higgy would mind him telling Mac about her past or not.

"Let me guess. Juliet Higgins, majordomo of Robin Master's estate and ex MI6?"

Rick sighed in relief. "You know?"

"I met her at the estate when he asked me for help on the guys who took him. She introduced herself as former MI6, from across the pond. I liked her right away. Still, when I got back to the office, I did a bit of a deep dive on her. Interesting stuff."

"Yeah?" Rick perked up. He knew Mac had been looking out for them, especially Magnum. Having a foreign agent, even an ex one from an ally, would have concerned her. "Like what?" T.C. frowned, wanting to know what was going on. Rick held up a finger.

"If you want to know, you'll have to ask her."

"Come on, Josie. We're all friends." He cajoled.

"Then I'm sure you won't mind asking your friend for information on her past. If she wants you to know, she'll tell you."

He gave it up. Mac was loyal to a fault, even to someone she didn't know all that well. He just hoped that loyalty wouldn't get her in hot water with their ex CO. "Okay, I get it. I'll have that photo sent to you as soon as possible, probably tomorrow."

"Thanks, and Rick?"

"Yeah?"

"Keep me posted on how he's doing?"

"You know I will. Bye Mac."

"Bye." She hung up.

"What was that all about?" T.C. asked immediately.

"Mac knew about Higgin's MI6 career. She also knew about Seaver Technology but not about Zhāng. Apparently, they have intel that he's in Berlin. She wants a copy of that picture to give to Greene."

"You know once Naval Intelligence or the Feds get involved, they're not going to allow HPD to arrest him. They're going to want to run some kind of op to find out what's going on, how deep it goes and how much of our technology may have been compromised." Rick could hear the conflict in his big friend's voice. They both wanted the man who'd been behind Magnum being in the condition he was in, but they also knew that their countries security was an even bigger concern.

"I know, and we both understand that it's bigger than us and Thomas."

"Granted. Still, knowing that this guy is going to be allowed to walk around free, while T.M. lies here fighting for his life, doesn't sit well."

"You know he'd be the first one to say that this takes precedence. If there's even a chance that what Seaver gave this MSS guy could get some of our brothers who are still fighting, killed."

T.C. sighed. He did know it. Thomas had a tendency to think everyone else was more important than he was. His guilt over Hannah's actions had led to him doing everything in his power to keep the Taliban's attention on him, thereby saving his team from the brunt of the abuse, spending more time in solitary than any of them wanted to remember, coming back bruised and beaten but never broken. Images of Nuzo cauterizing the wound in Thomas's side was something he would never be able to forget, try as he might.

"You think Greene will give Mac a hard time about helping Thomas?"

"Probably. Still. We just gave her some information that could be instrumental in taking out a traitor and saving lives."

T.C. hmphed, his opinion of their old CO obvious. Rick pretty much agreed, but he also knew that Greene had his own chain of command to answer to. Some of the things he and his brothers had pulled while in service, had pushed the man right to the edge. He turned his attention back to his phone and pulled up the number for Juliet.

"What are you doing?"

"Texting Mac's contact info to Juliet and asking that she send the picture to her."

"Why not just call?"

"Because, I'm hoping she's finally getting some rest. You saw her this afternoon. She was already exhausted when she left here with Katsumoto. What the two of them found in only a few hours was just short of amazing." His admiration showed. He sent the information and hoped he wouldn't get a text back until the morning.

"Yeah, she is kind of amazing."

Rick tilted his head toward T.C., wondering. He hesitated and then asked what was on his mind. "Do you think there's something between the two of them?"

"Higgy and Katsumoto? Hell no."

"I didn't mean them! I meant Jules and Thomas."

T.C. stared at him and then smiled. "If there is, it would be the best thing for him. She's never going to allow him to get away with anything. She challenges him more than anyone I've ever seen."

Rick grinned. "She does, doesn't she?" Their conversation was interrupted when the doctor entered the room.

"Shouldn't you two be gone home? Visiting hours are over and there's really nothing you can do here." Doctor Mahelona said.

Rick bristled. "We can still be here for him, whether he knows it or not. He'd do the same for us."

The doctor held up his hand. "I don't doubt he would. I simply wonder if he'd be happy to know you're both exhausting yourselves by being here at all hours. Wouldn't it be better to take turns?"

"You'd let one of us stay? Around the clock?" T.C. asked.

"I would. Mainly because I know it would be next to impossible to keep you both out. I checked into your friend when I saw the scars he bears. I respect what he's given to our country. What you've all done." He'd only had to google the men to find out about their incarceration in Afghanistan and subsequent escape. It had been all over the news, including the press conference he'd watched several times, trying to get a feel for his patient and the men who wouldn't leave his side. He could only imagine what the four had gone through during those eighteen months. He'd also read about the death of Sebastian Nuzo and figured the two in front of him were terrified they were about to lose another of their team.

He turned to his patient, having made his pitch to keep the other two from exhausting themselves and ending up in matching beds. He checked the EEG and was relieved to see that the results were not worse. He'd rather have inserted an intraventricular catheter, but the man had been too weak when he'd been admitted. His other injuries had been more life threatening and they'd chosen to fix the liver and lung first. Drilling a hole in his skull would have been pushing it, although it may still need to be done if they needed to drain some fluid. So far, things were not progressing to that point. He went on to check his patient's vitals. He was relieved to see no sign of temperature, which meant no infection, at least not yet. Something he'd been quietly worried about.

"Thanks doc." Rick said as he watched the man work. "Um, how's he doing?"

"Not much of a change but that's good. The stats show that the swelling may even have gone down a bit more. A very _small_ bit." He stressed. "I really wish I could give you better news. Right now, we can only wait and see."

"We know you're doing everything you can, doc. We appreciate it." T.C. said quietly, his deep voice conveying his appreciation.

"You're welcome." He went to leave the room, then looked back at the two friends flanking his patient's bed. "One of you being here really could make all the difference. I've seen it too many times not to believe that knowing someone who cares about you is close at hand, has a positive effect." He smiled. "I meant it when I said it wouldn't help him any to have both of you exhaust yourselves. One of you stays, one of you goes home to eat and get some rest." He raised an eyebrow. "I can make it an order if that helps?"

Both men smiled at him and nodded their agreement. Mahelona sighed, knowing they'd do whatever they wanted. He left the room but made sure to stop and let the nursing staff know he was approving both men being there after hours. He pushed it from his mind and went to check on his other patients. Eventually, Rick and T.C. realized the doctor was right and set up a schedule. Rick left the hospital to head home, having left strict instructions with T.C. to contact him if anything, no matter how small, changed. He was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to sleep anyway. He fell into bed when he got there and immediately drifted into a deep, exhausted sleep.

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The next morning, Tom Jennings looked at his email in shock. Not only had Katsumoto and the majordomo of the estate found where the perpetrators had gotten in, along with the tranquilizer dart, now he was staring at footage of the man who had most likely cased the estate. The information that the footage had been deleted from the server but not the cloud account was a boon. The fact that they also found the pictures the men had most likely been after, and thought they'd succeeded in getting, was amazing. Adding in intel that the CEO of a major government contract holder was meeting with a known Chinese spy, however, added complexity he really could have done without. Now he was going to have to deal with the feds getting involved and he knew what that meant. They'd take over the case and dismiss him out of hand. He found himself hoping the other detective would keep investigating. He wasn't stupid, he knew the other man wouldn't give up just because some suit told him to. He knew because he wouldn't if it was his friend.

He stood up and made his way towards his boss's office, picking up the pictures he'd sent to the printer, on the way. The pictures Katsumoto had sent of the treads, along with the dart, had gone to CSU last night. He was still waiting on the results. He stopped outside Akana's office, gathered his thoughts and knocked.

"Come in." Akana called out, looking up to see Tom Jennings enter. He frowned at the look on his detective's face. He looked like he eaten something sour. "Tom? What's up?"

"It's the Magnum case." Tom began.

Akana's frown deepened. He wasn't a fan of the P.I. but he also didn't dislike him. Had even developed a somewhat grudging respect for him. What he did dislike, was how close the man had become with one of his best detectives, pulling HPD into things they either shouldn't be involved in or getting in the middle of one of their cases. What had been done to him, however, was unacceptable. "What's going on?" He knew that the other man had something to tell him he wasn't happy about.

"We need to contact the feds." Tom said baldly.

"What? Why? Is Magnum involved in something he shouldn't be?" It didn't mesh with what he knew about the man, about his service to his country, from what he'd seen with his own two eyes.

"No, wrong place, wrong time. He was working a cheating husband case and caught something on camera he had no idea he had. We…I think the man he was tailing found out and had Magnum beaten until he gave up the camera and pictures." Jennings put the pictures on Akana's desk, who hadn't missed the slight slip of we versus I. He had a good idea of who the 'we' was. Katsumoto had unexpectedly scheduled his three personal days, to be taken immediately, just that morning. He never took time off, something he was always getting chastised about. Akana waited for the other shoe to drop. He wasn't disappointed.

"Magnum caught the husband meeting with a Chinese spy."

"Who's the husband?" He asked, just knowing he wasn't going to like it. He ignored the pictures, waiting for Jennings to tell him directly.

"Ronald Seaver."

Akana closed his eyes, suddenly questioning his choice of careers. His parents had wanted him to follow in his father's footsteps and become a teacher. They hadn't been happy when he'd gone into law enforcement, but they'd always supported him, proud of him as he'd worked his way up to Lieutenant with his own command. Right now, he wished he'd bowed to the familial pressure. He thought furiously. He was always unhappy when the feds stepped into one of HPD's cases, but he'd developed a decent working relationship with one of them over the years. She'd be the one he'd reach out to. It didn't hurt that she worked the cyber division. From what he'd just been told, it would be right up her alley.

"I'll take care of it. Forward all the information you have to my inbox." He said. Jennings nodded and turned to leave. At the door, he hesitated, debating on whether to tell his boss that Katsumoto was involved. His sense of duty warred with his sense of what was right. The feds would never allow them to arrest Seaver or any of his men before they found out what the man had given away, maybe even offering him some kind of deal. Meanwhile, a man who had served his country with honor, was lying in a hospital bed, fighting for his life. Akana watched him and, pretty sure he knew what was going through the man's mind, finally put him out of his misery.

"Tell Katsumoto to be careful." Jennings stared at him in shock and then finally nodded his head, his respect for his boss increasing. He left without another word. Sighing, Akana rifled through his contact list, found what he was looking for and picked up the desk phone to open up a can of worms he hoped wouldn't come back to bite him.

"Lt. Akana, what can I do for you this fine morning?" Agent Celia Morgan had been surprised to see the number come up on her phone. HPD never gave up anything voluntarily. She'd had to deal with Five-O a couple times over the last few years and she was pretty sure those interactions had given her premature grey hair. Akana was a good guy but he was pretty typical of the local LEOs she'd dealt with in the past. Territorial and resentful when the FBI got involved in one of their cases. If he was calling them, instead of the other way around, something was wrong. Very wrong.

"Agent Morgan, I have some information for you that came up in relation to one of our cases. I'm not happy about turning this over to the FBI, but I know I don't have a choice. I'm hoping you'll keep us in the loop on this."

"Depends on what it is." She replied cautiously.

He knew that was the best he was going to get. He quickly brought her up to speed. She made notes as he talked, pausing in shock at the name of the Chinese spy Seaver was meeting with. Everything the intelligence agencies had on the man, put him in Europe. She'd have to look up the data to determine exactly where. To find out he was in Hawaii and meeting with someone who had access to sensitive government information, was extremely concerning. This was going to have to go up the chain and she was pretty sure she wouldn't be allowed to share anything with the man on the other end of the phone. Of course, if she didn't mention it, she couldn't be told not to. She'd have to walk a tight line, but when she heard about what had been done to a retired SEAL, her hackles rose. She didn't know Magnum personally, but she remembered the things she'd heard when he and his team had escaped from the Taliban. He was a decorated member of the US armed forces who'd put his life on the line multiple times. Allowing the person who'd done that to walk, went against everything she'd joined the FBI to accomplish.

When Akana finished, there was silence on both sides. Eventually, she said. "Send me the information you have and keep this quiet." She gave him her secure email address. Before hanging up, she gave him one shred of hope. "I'll be in touch."

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	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

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Lt. Josie MacReynolds stood outside her CO's office and marshalled her thoughts. There was no way she could avoid telling Captain Greene that she'd been helping Magnum's friends. She could only hope the intel they'd given her would mitigate just how angry he would be. She understood it. The team of Magnum, Nuzo, Wright and Calvin had been a thorn in the man's side for years. Still, they'd always gotten results and had served their country with honor and distinction. She considered them friends, Thomas especially. For some reason, the two of them had clicked from the first time they'd met. When Nuzo had been murdered, she'd seen the impact it had on the remaining three. If Thomas died from his injuries, the two left behind would have a hard time dealing with it as their tight knit little band was whittled down even more. She wasn't too sure she'd do any better. Losing a friend was never easy. Squaring her shoulders, she knocked on the door.

"Come in." Greene yelled out. She entered and stood at attention as he eyed her warily. "Lt., what can I do for you?" Something told him he wasn't going to like it, her blank expression setting off warning bells.

"Sir, I have good intel that Cheng Zhāng is in the United States. In fact, right here in Hawaii."

He straightened up. That was good and bad news. Zhāng was slippery and damn good at what he did. They'd never been able to capture him. The good news was that they knew where he was. The bad news was that it was now his responsibility to do something about it. He frowned, wondering what she was holding back. "How do you know this?"

Without answering, she held out the folder she'd put together on Seaver, along with the pictures Juliet Higgins had forwarded her that morning. He opened it and one eyebrow raised when he saw the man the MSS agent was talking to, recognizing him immediately. He'd met Seaver at a charity benefit a few months back and had thought the man's ego was ridiculously inflated. He'd also been uncomfortable watching the man flirt with every young woman in the room, right in front of his wife. He looked through the rest of what MacReynolds had given him, including a picture of the man with a woman he knew was not the wife and a list of the contracts Seaver currently held with the United States government. They were highly sensitive, and it wouldn't do for the technology to fall into Chinese hands. He looked up at her. "Where did you get these pictures?"

She swallowed and then stood straighter. "Juliet Higgins sent them to me, but Magnum was the one who took them."

"Magnum? What the _hell_ is he playing at? Does he know how _dangerous_ this man is? Damn it, he should have come to me as soon as he found out Zhāng was here! He's not in the Navy anymore, he has no business spying on an MSS operative!"

"Sir." Mac interrupted his tirade. "Thomas didn't know what he had. I doubt he knew who Seaver was meeting with. His job was to get pictures Mrs. Seaver could use to prove her husband was cheating on her."

Greene frowned as some of the pieces didn't fit. "Wait, why didn't Magnum give you the pictures instead of Robin Masters' majordomo? And, if he didn't know who he'd photographed, what changed?"

"Juliet Higgins is ex MI6. She recognized Zhāng as soon as she saw him. The reason she sent them and not Magnum, is because he's in the hospital in a coma. The consensus is that the wife told Seaver she had proof of his infidelity in the form of photographs and he figured out that that wasn't the only thing that might have been caught on film. That he had some of his men break into the estate to get the evidence." She paused and then continued. "Apparently Thomas didn't give it up willingly. They beat him pretty severely and the doctors weren't sure he was going to live at first. Right now, he's holding his own, but it could still go either way." She swallowed hard at saying the words out loud.

Greene stood up and started to pace. While Magnum and his merry band of mischief makers had made his life miserable at times, they were actually damn good soldiers. What they'd gone through in Afghanistan was something he wouldn't wish on anyone. The four of them had survived for eighteen months and managed to get themselves out of there. No one did this and got away with it. Not to one of his. And wouldn't they be surprised to find out he did, in fact, still consider them his, even if they were no longer in service.

When they'd come to him with the plan to exchange a Korean counterfeiter for a captured CIA agent, he'd been wary, especially when he found out said agent was the father of the woman who had put them in that hell hole to start with. He'd actually been surprised that they'd wanted him to back them up and had agreed, perhaps against his better judgement. It hadn't ended as well as hoped but better than expected. Hannah's father had been rescued but she'd died. A part of him still thought it was a fitting ending for her, another part would have liked to see her rot in jail for a good long time.

Unfortunately, he knew the way this was going to go down. He'd have to report this to his superiors, and they'd set up an op to have someone get close to Seaver. To figure out just what was compromised and how much the Chinese had already gotten their hands on. He planned on making it known, in no uncertain terms, that he would not be happy if Seaver got some kind of plea deal in exchange for cooperating. He had a sudden thought.

"Does HPD know about this?"

"Yes, Ms. Higgins shared the intel on Seaver with the detective working on the case."

"Great, that means the feds will get involved." He sighed. "At least there's very little chance that Seaver shared the fact that they might be compromised with Zhāng. If he thinks he got all the evidence, then he wouldn't take the risk. The MSS wouldn't look favorably on someone who'd put one of their top operatives in danger. He'd be dead before he knew what was happening." He paced a bit more and then turned to Mac.

"If they got the evidence…" He tapped the folder. "…then how did Juliet Higgins get these?"

"When Thomas became the security consultant for the estate, he instituted a cloud backup of the camera footage. Juliet realized that their footage during the time of the attack was actually a looped recording. Unfortunately, that's exactly what got uploaded to the account. However, she and a Detective Katsumoto figured out that someone had to know which cameras would need to be hacked and went back to view the previous day's tour of the estate. When they found that that footage had been deleted from the server, they went to the cloud account to find it."

She opened the folder and turned the pictures until she got to the one of Curry and tapped it. "The footage on the cloud was intact and they found this man's actions suspicious. The name the man gave when he went on the tour turned out to be fake. While they were in there, they discovered Thomas had been using it to back up his own pictures. They opened the most recently updated folder, which turned out to be for Seaver, where they found this." She turned another photo over, this time showing Curry with the man. She turned back to the one with Zhāng. "And this one. That's when they put together the most likely scenario that Thomas was beaten nearly to death in order to protect Seaver from being discovered as a traitor."

Greene nodded, agreeing with the assessment. His next question surprised Josie. "What hospital is he in?" His words were softly spoken and somewhat hesitant, as if he wasn't really sure why he was asking.

"Queen's Medical Center."

"It's a good hospital. He'll get the best care possible there."

"I know."

"Maybe…maybe I'll stop in and see how he's doing."

She blinked in surprise and then recovered, responding truthfully. "I think they'd all appreciate that."

"I'm guessing Wright and Calvin haven't left his side?"

"Not that I'm aware of. You know how tight those four…three…are."

He did. He'd been in the same position, once. Part of a team who were closer than family. Sadly, for him, he was the only one still alive. He felt the loss of his teammates every day. It was like a piece of him was missing and always would be. Part of him was jealous that Magnum, Wright and Calvin still had each other. The loss of Nuzo had only made them closer. He missed that camaraderie and wondered if going to the hospital would only highlight that. Still, he felt the need to check in on Magnum, that it was the right thing to do, especially if he succumbed to his injuries. He hoped to make it clear to Wright and Calvin that he'd understand and be available for them if they ever needed to talk with someone who knew what they were feeling.

He shook himself out of his rumination and picked up the folder. "I'll take this to Command. Please thank Ms. Higgins for the information."

"I will." She turned to go but stopped at the door. "If you'd like company when you go to the hospital, I was thinking of dropping by there myself. We could go together?" She had a feeling he'd appreciate someone else being with him so that he didn't have to be alone with T.C. and Rick.

"I'd like that. I'll let you know when I'm able to get away and we'll make plans then."

"Then I'll wait to hear from you, sir." She opened the door and left. Greene stared at it for a moment and then sighed, making his own way out of his office a few seconds later, turning the opposite way from Josie, towards his superior's office. He wasn't looking forward to the next few days.

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Agent Celia Morgan tapped on the door of the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Cyber Division in Hawaii. "Boss? I've got something you won't believe."

Jonathan Gilmore looked up from the report he was reading and smiled. "Hi Celia. What is it?"

"How would you like to get your hands on Cheng Zhāng?"

"Are you kidding me? I'd love to but the latest bulletins have him in Berlin."

"I have a picture that would say otherwise. A picture that puts him here, in Hawaii, as of a couple of days ago." She held out the photo she'd printed from the secure email attachment Akana had sent her. Gilmore took it and his eyes narrowed.

"Is that Ronald Seaver?"

"It sure is."

"Crap."

Celia had to laugh, despite the seriousness of the situation. Gilmore was a good man, a great agent and an even better boss. Their team was one of the best in the FBI and almost always got results. Zhāng was one of their most wanted and had managed to elude them for way too long.

"Where did you get this?" Celia explained how she'd come to be in possession of the picture, filling him in on everything, including the fact that the man who'd taken the picture was currently in a coma, with a good chance of not surviving what had been done to him. When she mentioned Magnum's name, he looked up.

"Thomas Magnum? Retired SEAL?"

"Yes, do you know him?" She knew Gilmore had been Navy before joining the bureau but figured the two men had served at different times. She'd always been surprised he hadn't gone the NCIS route.

"No, but I know of him. Naval Intelligence, SEAL, now retired. He and his team were captured by the Taliban, subjected to interrogation for eighteen months before they escaped. I'd heard through the grapevine that he'd landed in Hawaii and become a private investigator." While he'd already been out of the service since before Magnum had even joined, he kept abreast of all news concerning anything related to the Navy. The men's escape from their imprisonment had been all anyone could talk about for weeks after it happened.

"So, Magnum was in the wrong place, at the wrong time? Got more on film than he bargained for?"

"That's the going hypothesis. We also believe that Seaver and his men don't know that we have these, that they believe they got all the evidence and are safe. And, that he most likely never told Zhāng. If he's smart, he'd know that would be a good way to end up dead. Zhāng doesn't like loose ends."

"Really? Well, I just can't wait to disabuse Seaver of that. What do we know about him that we can use?"

"Smart, paranoid, apparently greedy, doesn't care he's betraying his country and, oh, can't keep his pants on. Wife hired Magnum to get proof of infidelity, which he did." She pointed to the last picture in the pile, showing Seaver and a woman in what looked like a hotel room, neither overly dressed.

"Hmmm. I wonder if Irina is available?" The woman in the picture reminded him of the other agent.

"Maybe. You thinking honeytrap?" Irina Miller was as American as they came. Born of a Russian immigrant and an American English Literature teacher, she'd grown up in Idaho, one of five children. Four brothers and she the only girl. She was the biggest tomboy she knew. She spoke Russian, Spanish and, unexpectedly, Greek, fluently, in addition to her native English. Her father was an avid spy novel fan and she'd grown up on John le Carré, Ian Fleming and Robert Ludlum, among others. She was exotically beautiful and could easily have been a model or an actress. Instead, she had an adrenalin addiction and had applied to the several agencies as soon as she was able to, wanting to be an undercover agent or spy. The FBI was lucky enough to have made her an offer first. Her specialty was undercover ops, specifically luring men into incriminating themselves.

Gilmore smiled. "I sure am. How do you think Seaver would react to Irina pretending to be a Russian spy, trying to push Zhāng out of the picture?"

Celia smiled back. "From what I've been able to pick up on the man, he'd fall for it in a heartbeat."

"Let's set things in motion. Can you…" He paused when his desk phone rang. He frowned at the number, recognizing it as his counterpart at Naval Intelligence here on the island. He held up a finger and picked up the handset. "George, what can I do for you?"

George Finley was an Associate Director of SPECTRUM, which was the Naval Intelligence division that dealt with cyber threats, amongst other things, and was stationed in Hawaii. He hadn't been pleased when Greene had given him not only the information about the spy in their midst, but also that HPD was aware of it. A quick call to the Governor had confirmed that the data had been passed on to the FBI. He'd worked with Gilmore before and thought highly of the man. He'd immediately decided it would be better to work together rather than bumping into each other while working separately. At least they didn't have to deal with those hot heads at Five-0.

"I have it on good authority that Cheng Zhāng is in town and in bed with the CEO of one of our biggest technology companies that has ties to the government. I also have it on good authority that you're aware of this."

"We are."

"It would make sense to work on this together."

"I agree. I was just discussing this with one of my agents and we have the beginnings of a plan."

"Good. I'll be sending a Captain Buck Greene and Lt. Josie MacReynolds your way. They're good people, make use of them." Greene had requested that he and MacReynolds be the ones sent when Finley had told him that they'd be sharing the case with the FBI, and that, no, they would not be wresting the case from the other agency. He'd almost denied the request, knowing both had a personal stake in this but had finally decided to allow it. He paused. "Look, Jonathan, either this Seaver guy or Zhāng put one of ours in the hospital." His voice became grim. "We need to take these bastards down."

"I heard about that too. I'm very sorry."

"He's not dead yet. From what I've heard of him from Greene, who was his CO, Magnum's a stubborn SOB with a strong support system. He still has a chance."

"Glad to hear that. When can I expect your people?"

"They're on their way there now."

"Awfully sure of yourself, weren't you?"

"Not really, it just makes sense for us to work together. You've never been one to be territorial, so I knew you'd see it the same way."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment."

"It was meant as one. Look, I've got to go. Let's get this resolved quickly."

"We'll do our best. Bye George."

"Bye Jonathan."

Gilmore hung up the phone and Celia waited to hear what was going on. "It would appear that we'll be working with Naval Intelligence on this. Two of their people are on the way here as we speak."

Celia bristled a little. "This is our case."

"And it's one of their people in the hospital with a good chance of not surviving. One, or both, of these guys made that happen. This is personal for them."

"Is it a good idea to be working on a case that's personal?"

An unfamiliar voice sounded behind her. "Normally, I would say no. However, both myself and Lt. MacReynolds can keep the personal out of things." The man stepped into the room. "Captain Buck Greene." He put his hand out and Celia took it. Jonathan stood up and shook it as well. "This is Lt. Josie MacReynolds." Josie also shook hands with both of them.

Gilmore asked. "So, you were Thomas Magnum's CO?"

"I was."

"You're still close?"

"I wouldn't say that. That man and his buddies were major pains in my ass. Still, his team was damn good at their job and had one of the best success rates of any that reported to me."

Jonathan raised an eyebrow and huffed out a laugh, then turned to MacReynolds. "And you, Lt. MacReynolds?"

Josie smiled at him. "I consider Thomas a friend and it's Mac."

"Celia and Jonathan, then." Josie nodded her head. Gilmore rubbed his hands together. "This is what Celia and I were thinking before your AD called us. Seaver seems like he might be an easy target for a honeytrap and we have the perfect agent for the job."

Greene snorted. "I'd say that should work pretty well. I met the man at a charity benefit and he was just about all over every woman there under the age of fifty, right in front of his wife."

Jonathan frowned. "If you've met Seaver, we'll need to keep you away from him."

"I doubt he'd remember me. I wasn't wearing a dress and heels. However, I agree that we can't take that chance. I can work behind the scenes."

"Good." Jonathan turned to Mac. "What about you?"

"I'm willing to do anything you need me to do in order to get both Seaver and Zhāng off the streets and behind bars where they belong." She paused. "By the way? If either of them gets a bit…roughed up during takedown, I wouldn't shed a tear."

Jonathan and Celia shared a look and then both smiled. Turning back to the two Naval Intelligence operatives, they filled them in on Irina and what they were planning. The agent was contacted and turned out to be available. She was immediately on her way. While they waited, four heads ended up bent over the table in the corner of the office, each making suggestions and providing information. They quickly fleshed out a sting operation where the FBI agent would get close to Seaver, pretending to be a Russian GRU agent who was not only willing to pay more than the Chinese, but to show an interest in him as a man. They should be able to get information on what, if anything, he'd already given up and Zhāng wouldn't take being cut out lying down, which would give them a chance at him as well. When Irina showed up, they brought her up to date on the plan. Her eyes sparkled as she contemplated her role in it. It should be an interesting few days.

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	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

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Kumu's phone rang and she answered it quickly and quietly, not wanting to wake the detective currently sleeping on the couch. She'd come to estate earlier than normal, not able to sleep. She'd stopped by the hospital the prior evening to check in on Thomas. The sight of him had almost caused her to burst into tears, but she'd kept them at bay, wanting to be strong for T.C. who was sitting with him. Rick, she'd been told, had been bullied into going home to eat and get some sleep. He was due to relieve his big friend in a few hours. The two had sat by Thomas's bed, talking quietly to each other and to him. She was a spiritual woman and truly believed in guardian spirts that protected family. Thomas Magnum was her family and she prayed to the Aumakua for him. When she'd left, she had a feeling that they had heard her. It still didn't help her sleep. She'd not been overly surprised to find Katsumoto still at the estate. The man had been folded into her Ohana. She'd smiled a little and had gently laid an extra blanket over him. The phone startled her, and she stepped into the kitchen to talk.

"Akela, what's up?"

"Teuila, I think I have some news on the people who hurt Thomas." Akela Kalani adored the man. Her youngest daughter had been in trouble, accused of embezzling from her company and she'd turned to one of her oldest friends. In turn, Kumu had gotten the P.I. involved and he'd not only proven Halina was innocent, but that it was her manager who'd been the true thief and that he'd framed his employee to take the fall. That man was now sitting in jail. Thanks to him, her little girl was safe and sound. She'd do anything for him. When Teuila had put out the word that she was looking for information on anyone who might have hurt Thomas, she'd put her own network on the scent, and it had netted her something that she knew she just had to pass on.

"What kind of information?" Kumu asked, afraid to hope. Akela was a wonderful woman but tended to exaggerate.

"My nephew, Bai, lives in a…rather run-down area. I asked him to keep an ear open for anything suspicious. He said three men moved in down the street from him a day or two ago, but they don't seem to fit in. For one thing, they drive a very nice SUV and he saw them carrying all kinds of electronic equipment in and out of the house they rented and what looked like weapons. He also said he overheard them talking about someone they beat to death for information, laughing and bragging about how the guy had tried to fight them but had eventually been no match for their superior strength. Do you think they were talking about Thomas? I thought he was still alive!" She sounded like she was close to tears.

Kumu perked up at the mention of the equipment. She knew Akela's nephew was not the most reliable of sources. For one thing, he was a drug addict and a drunk. Still, this was not something that should be ignored. "He is, Akela, he's hanging in and we have hope that he'll make it through this. Did Bai give you the address?"

From behind her, she heard the detective ask. "What address? Who is that?"

"Hold on Akela, I'm going to put you on speaker while I get a pen and paper. Just so you know, I have an HPD detective here with me." She didn't want her friend to say anything that would incriminate her nephew. He might be a waste of space, but her friend dearly loved her sister's only child.

"Really? How exciting!" Kumu rolled her eyes. Akela loved crime shows and watched every one of them on television. She tapped the speaker button and went to the drawer where paper and pen was kept.

Once she had them, she introduced the two. "Akela, this is Detective Katsumoto. Detective, this is my friend Akela Kalani. She thinks she might have some information on the men who did this to Thomas." She handed the phone to the detective

Katsumoto raised his eyebrows as he automatically took it. "How did this happen?"

Akela's voice sounded through the speaker. "Teuila called everyone she could think of, asking that we let her know if anyone heard anything that could lead to finding the people who hurt Thomas. He's helped a lot of people and everyone wanted to do whatever they could. He saved my daughter from a prison sentence! You need to find whoever did this and make sure they spend the rest of their miserable lives in jail!" Her voice had gotten louder and shriller with every word.

"I intend to do just that, Ms. Kalani. Now, what information do you have for us?"

Akela filled him in on what she'd already told Teuila. She gave them the address and Kumu quickly wrote it down. When the other woman finally ran out of steam, Katsumoto took the opportunity to thank her and say goodbye. Once he'd pushed the disconnect button, he handed the phone back to Kumu, looking shell shocked. Kumu knew that feeling, but her friend was a good woman with a large heart. She just took some getting used to.

Higgins wandered into the kitchen just seconds after the detective hung up. "Good morning Kumu, detective." She paused at the looks on their faces, at the phone in Kumu's hand and her stomach did a sudden drop, making her feel nauseous. "Was that about Magnum?"

Kumu smiled at her and hastily replied. "Yes, but not what you're thinking. We have some information that might lead us to the men who hurt him."

"Really?" She was afraid to hope. "Fill me in." They gave her the bare bones and she held out a hand for the paper Kumu had written the address on. "Come on, let's see if we can find out who owns that property." She led the way into the office, where she sat down in front of her laptop, booting it up. Once in, she opened a barely legal, well maybe not even barely, app where she typed in the address. "Hmm, appears to be owned by a shell corporation. Why in the world would they want property in a location like that? It's mostly abandoned buildings and drug dealers." She mused out loud as she kept typing, digging deeper to try to find out who owned said shell corporation. Katsumoto watched her, trying to pretend that he didn't notice that the sites she was using were not supposed to be available to the general public. He kept his mouth shut, he wasn't here in an official capacity and anything they could use to get these guys was okay with him, this time.

"Damn it!"

"What?" Katsumoto asked.

Higgins sat back. "The house is owned by Seaver Tech."

"Well, that proves we have the right guys." He turned to Kumu. "Thank you, Ms. Tuileta. This information is invaluable."

"I'm just glad we could help. Thomas has always been willing to help others, we just wanted to return the favor." Akela wasn't the only one of her friends the P.I. had helped. "I know some of his clients haven't been able to pay his regular fee, but that never seems to bother him."

Higgins smiled, remembering Chick Norris and Beaker, two chickens he'd received in payment for his services and were now living the high life at the Hawaii Animal Sanctuary. None of them had been willing to turn the two into a meal and Magnum had turned them over to the shelter with a nice donation. In actuality, that case had ended up costing him money.

"Do we turn this information over to the feds?" She asked.

"No. At least, not yet." Katsumoto responded. "They'd just insist that this was related to the Seaver case and we shouldn't act on it." He paused as he thought about it. "As you said. the area is known for drug dealing." It seemed like HPD was making a raid there every other day. This could work in their favor.

"And?" Higgins asked.

"And, we get Narcotics involved." He turned to Kumu. "Would your friend be willing to phone a tip into the hot line? It can be anonymous."

Kumu nodded. "I'm sure she would be. If not, I'll do it."

"Good."

Kumu called Akela back and quickly had her friend's agreement to follow the plan, ecstatic about being involved an actual, real life, crime drama. The detective took the phone and rattled off the number for the Narcotics tip line, stressing she shouldn't mention anything about a possible connection to what had been done to Magnum, and the woman agreed, saying she'd call it in immediately. They could only hope that no one did the deep dive into the location that Higgins had.

After hanging up, the three looked at each other. Finally, Kumu had to ask. "What now?"

"Now we wait."

"Shouldn't we let Rick and T.C. know?" Higgins asked. She didn't want to just sit here, waiting.

Katsumoto raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think we'd be able to keep them away from there if they knew? We need to play this smart. HPD goes in, sweeps them all up, hopefully including our Mr. Curry. Even if there are no drugs or anything else on site, they'll take them in and sort it out at the precinct. Once they're in custody, we see what we can find out about their recent activity. Maybe we just happen to be there to fill Jennings in on what Ms. Tuileta's friend told us, see them being brought in and mention that one of them is a suspect in a breaking and entering, with assault."

"And if Curry isn't with them? It seemed more like he was an employee of Seaver, not a member of the mercenary group." Higgins wasn't sure she liked this plan.

"Maybe not, but we get enough on them, maybe they'll turn on Seaver and Curry. They'll all get fingerprinted as a matter of course. Maybe one of them will match what HPD took from Magnum's place."

"That's a lot of maybes." Kumu said.

"I know. However, the only other alternative is to give this info to the feds and let them sit on it while they work whatever angle they have going on Seaver. By the time that's done, these guys could be long gone."

Juliet stood up and paced the room. "What if this raid alerts Seaver that something's up? I want the men who hurt Thomas, but I want the man who ordered it even more. Especially if he's a traitor."

"A drug raid in a bad neighborhood? A neighborhood where these raids are happening on almost a daily basis? Chances are he'll just think it was bad luck and that he's paying them enough to keep their mouths shut. Maybe even get them a good lawyer."

"Another maybe, along with chances." Higgins muttered.

"Do you have a better idea?" He asked and then held up a finger as she opened her mouth. "One that doesn't include two ex-marines, a former MI6 agent and a police detective who should know better?"

"Okay, but what about this? What do you think Jennings is going to do when he hears about this and that we kept it from him?"

"Like I said, we immediately came to him with the information, not knowing that someone _else_ had called in a tip to Narcotics."

"He's not a stupid man. Don't you think he'll wonder about the coincidence of us just happening to be there when the men are brought in? And how are we going to time it anyway?"

"Narcotics is in the same building, on the same floor, as Robbery/Homicide. We give them a head start and then head over there to talk to him. Keep an eye on Narcotics while we do so. We'll easily be able to see anyone they bring in for questioning."

"And if he wonders why we didn't just call him?"

"I needed to pick something up from my office, so we figured we'd just stop in. Kill two birds with one stone. We ask questions about the investigation. If they still haven't shown up, I go into my office, you stay outside and keep talking to Tom. I'll stall as long as I can."

Higgins frowned. "Speaking of which, why aren't you at work?"

"I get three personal days a year, that can be used without advanced notice." She tilted her head at him and smiled. "What?" He asked.

"First, you took your time off to help out Magnum. Second, I think you've been hanging around with him too much. This is starting to sound like one of his cockamamie plans."

He just stared at her, an absolutely horrified look on his face and her smile got bigger as Kumu actually giggled from behind them. It was a lighthearted moment in a dark time.

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Raisa Drozdov, aka Irina Miller, sat at the bar of the L'Aperitif at La Mer, nursing her scotch on the rocks, watching the entrance from the corner of her eye. She'd already had to fend off several well-dressed men who would normally have interested her, but none of them were her current target. Her team had done some extensive research and discovered that Ronald Seaver frequented this bar quite often. She was starting to think that tonight wasn't the night, when he finally walked in. She had to admit, the man was good looking and carried himself with an air of confidence. He was obviously well known, as the hostess just about fell all over herself, welcoming him by name. She was pleased when she saw he was being led to his table by way of the bar area. It would make it easier for her. Timing it right, she stood up with her drink, just as they approached. She turned and he walked right into her.

"Смотри, куда едешь, идиот! (Watch where you're going, you idiot!)" She spoke rapidly, wiping ineffectively at the scotch that had splashed on her very low-cut dress.

Seaver couldn't take his eyes off the woman. She was beautiful in an exotic way that made the rest of the room fade away. He had no idea what she'd just said to him and he didn't care. He just knew he wanted her. "Sorry, I don't understand whatever language you're speaking." He said with a charming smile, already planning on what excuse he would give his wife for being late tonight. Although with her threatening divorce, albeit with now nonexistent photographic evidence, he supposed it really didn't matter. When the woman looked him up and down, then turned away with a sniff, he was shocked. Between his looks, his money and his prestige, he was used to every woman he met fawning all over him.

The hostess gestured to him that they should continue on to his table, although she was used to him and knew the signs. Mr. Seaver wanted this woman and, who he wanted, he generally got. She was right when he moved to the bar instead of following her. Sighing, she quietly and unobtrusively headed back to her station.

"I'm sorry for bumping into you. The least I can do is buy you a replacement drink." He said. Irina ignored him, knowing his type. He would never be able to resist the woman who didn't fall into his bed immediately. He wouldn't be able to understand why she didn't and would be intrigued. "Do you speak English?" He asked when she didn't respond to his extremely kind offer. After all, in reality, _she_ had bumped into _him_.

In heavily accented English, she replied in as scathing a voice as possible. "Of course, I speak English. I speak several languages. Only Americans speak just one language, so smug with your assumption that everyone else needs to know English." She sneered at him. "You may leave now." She turned back to her drink. Undeterred, he sat in the empty seat next to her.

When the bartender approached, he said. "I'll have my regular and another of whatever she's having for the lady."

"Sure, Mr. Seaver." He turned to start making the drinks.

Irina looked at with as much irritation as she thought wise. "I do not need another drink."

"I simply want to make up for spilling yours. Why not let me?"

"Because I know men like you. What are you expecting in return?"

"Nothing except the company of a beautiful woman."

"Pretty words that mean nothing."

He was starting to get a little irritated. "It was a compliment. I'm sorry you feel that way." He stood up as if to go. Irina looked at him, pretending to search his eyes, as if she were looking for deceit. Finally, she allowed herself to smile a little.

"My apologies. I did not mean to sound so…hostile. You are not the first man to come up to me tonight. I simply wanted a nice drink by myself before heading up to my room."

He sat back down. "You're staying here at the Halekulani?"

"Yes."

"It's a very nice hotel."

Irina pretended to stiffen. "Am I not supposed to be staying somewhere nice?"

"No! No, that's not what I meant at all. I was just making conversation."

She subsided and nodded. "Again, my apologies if I overreacted. Some men seem to assume a woman cannot afford such a place."

"Then they're idiots. A woman can afford anything a man can." Irina almost laughed at his fake sincerity, knowing he was playing up to her.

"Thank you."

The bartender placed their drinks in front of them. Seaver picked his up and said. "A toast. To new friends."

She picked hers up as well and clinked the edge of her glass against his. She took a sip and peered over the edge of the glass at him. "Is that what we are? Friends?"

"I'd like to be."

"We will see."

"How long are you in town for?"

"A week or so."

"On vacation or for business?"

"A little of both."

"What business are you in?"

"Technology. Russia is very advanced, you know." She made it sound a little belligerent, as if expecting him to say her country was backwards.

"I do know. I just happen to be in technology myself! That's quite a coincidence."

"Hardly. Technology is one of the fastest growing fields for men _and_ women. It seems like quite a few people I have met since arriving here, are in technology, in some way or another."

"Well, I happen to own one of the largest technology companies in the United States. Have you ever heard of Seaver Technology Group?"

Irina raised her eyebrows. "Actually, yes I have. I do my research and looked into all technology companies in Hawaii before I left home. Now, I would like to talk of something else besides work. As I said, I am also here for a little vacation. Tell me about your island."

They sat for several hours while Seaver expounded on all the beauty of Oahu and the other Hawaiian Islands. She asked questions about his home, his family but never his work. Anything he asked about technology that she didn't know, was supplied by Greene and MacReynolds via the small ear bud in her right ear. Jonathan and Celia had been sitting at the other end of the bar, two people on a date and heavily involved in each other. No one ever noticing the close eye they kept on Irina and Seaver. By the end of the evening, Ronald Seaver was in love. When she got up to leave, he asked for her phone number. She hesitated a little, not wanting to look too eager. Finally, she reached into her purse and pulled out a business card the FBI had made up for her that morning, the information on it in both Russian and English. If he were to investigate the company on it, he would find it well known in Russia. Her position there had been fully backstopped even though she'd never set foot in the place nor was she ever likely to.

She handed it to him but when he went to take it, she drew it back. "Do not make me regret this."

"You won't." She nodded and handed it to him. He pulled out his wallet and carefully slipped it behind his driver's license. Getting up himself, he said. "Can I walk you out?"

"You are not coming up to my room."

"I didn't think I would be. I'm ready to head home myself and just thought we could walk together."

"Very well." She turned to head out of the bar, and he followed in her wake. It didn't surprise him that just about every male in the place watched her walk by. He puffed up a little, knowing that they saw she was with him. When they made it to the lobby, she turned to say goodbye.

"Raisa, would you do me the honor of having dinner with me tomorrow night?"

"What will your wife think of that?" During the course of their conversation, he'd admitted to being married. It was common knowledge and he didn't want her to catch him in a lie if she looked him up online. There were plenty of pictures of Ronald Seaver and wife on the internet, mostly attending various charity benefits said wife got involved in to make herself feel like she was anything but what she was. A trophy wife. A trophy that had become tarnished as she started to age. He was ready for a new one and he just knew he was looking at her.

"As I said earlier, my wife and I are in the process of divorcing. She won't care. In fact, I'm pretty sure she has a boyfriend these days. One of the many reasons we're no longer together." He knew she didn't, but it wouldn't hurt to make it seem like he was the injured party.

"I really do not care if you are divorced or not. It is not in my plans to get that involved with anyone in the short time I will be here. I enjoyed your company tonight; it made me a little less lonely. So yes, I would like to have dinner with you tomorrow as long as you understand that."

"Great! I'll call you tomorrow with the details." He was already planning on going all out. The best restaurant, picking her up in a limo, everything he could think of to impress her.

"Very well. Good night Ronald." She held out her hand to shake his. Instead, he raised it to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on the back of it.

"Good night Raisa. I'm already looking forward to tomorrow night."

"As am I." She took her hand back and walked away without looking back. At the elevators, the doors opened immediately. She got in and turned, not surprised that he was still there, watching her go. She gave a small wave as the doors shut.

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	8. Chapter 8

A/N – It's been a while since I updated this one. I got myself into a corner I couldn't see my way out of. On top of that, my husband had complete knee replacement surgery and I was busy playing nursemaid for a bit. Discovered I'm not that good at it. LOL! Anyway, if you're still out there, hope you like this. I wasn't too sure by my friend and beta, honus47, said it was good to go. Many thanks to her for her patience and friendship! This is a bit of a long one, but there really didn't seem like a good place to break it up.

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Chapter 8

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While the FBI and Naval Intelligence were busy creating Raisa Drozdov and backstopping her carefully enough that even their tech savvy target would be fooled, Katsumoto and Higgins split their time between the hospital visiting Magnum and at Robin's Nest, where they continued their deep dive into Ronald Seaver, looking into any, and all, associates. Both were hoping to find anything they could use to link him to 'Arthur Curry', to figure out what the man's name really was and/or to uncover any connection either of them might have to mercenaries. Up to, and including, a sudden withdrawal or transfer of large sums of money, something that could be an indication of a payout for a job. A job, such as beating a man almost to death for information. So far, they had found nothing, but had no plans on stopping any time soon.

All day, the detective had kept an eye on the HPD scanner app on his phone, having tuned it to the Narcotics channel. His obsessive checking of it had raised halfhearted questions from both T.C. and Rick the first time they'd stopped by the hospital, so he'd became more circumspect when spending any time with either of them, although it drove him crazy with worry that they'd miss their window of opportunity. Higgins and he had both agreed that neither man would be told about their plan until it was over. Higgins, because she didn't believe it would work and she hated the idea of getting their hopes up. Katsumoto, because he believed it would and he wanted to keep both men out of it until it was over, mostly to ensure nothing went wrong. Things tended to go sideways when any one of the three men were involved.

By evening, while Irina was meeting Raisa's prey, both were exhausted and disappointed that there'd been no apparent action on Akela's tip. While Raisa sat and listened to Seaver expounding on the wonders of Hawaii, throwing in a few digs at his soon to be ex-wife and talking up his company, the detective went home for the first time in two days. Mainly in order to pick up his mail and get enough changes of clothes for the foreseeable future. He had no intention of leaving Higgins alone on the huge estate, even if Kumu were on the premises. What had happened to Magnum there, had him feeling on edge. He was suddenly hyper aware of just how big the estate was and how imperfect any security could be, no matter how state of the art it was. He was pretty sure that the men wouldn't be returning to harm anyone else, he just couldn't bring himself to leave her there. He was smart enough not to convey this concern to the Majordomo, knowing it would be ill received with a very haughty British response of "I can take care of myself, thank you very much.' So, he just left it that it was easier on him to stay on the estate instead of running back and forth. The fact that it was actually true, did not take away a niggling doubt that he was keeping an eye on her for Magnum, an unspoken promise to make sure she stayed safe. In addition, he'd realized he considered her a friend and friends kept friends safe.

While he was home packing and sorting his mail into trash versus bills, Higgins sat at Magnum's side for her shift and watched the machines breathe for him. According to Rick, the doctor had been in several times during the day and seemed to be walking a fine line between telling them that things were slightly improving and trying not to raise their hopes too high. Alone with him for the first time since he'd been hurt, she reached out and carded her right hand through his hair, her left one rubbing gentle circles on the back on the hand closest to her, carefully avoiding the various wires attached to him. She was so tired, her usual emotional walls were cracking, and she found herself thinking that she might not want to stay at Robin's Nest if he didn't make it. If he didn't come back home.

Somehow, the thought of being alone on the estate, with the empty and silent guest house lurking in the background, did not sound appealing. The thought of someone else taking up residence there, was revolting to the point of making her feel physically ill. She remembered when Magnum had shown up that first time and how much she'd resented his intrusion into her carefully constructed solitude. The memory made her smile, but it didn't last. She put her head down on the bed and finally gave in to the almost constant urge to cry, knowing she was safe from prying eyes, that no one would be in any time soon to catch her. It wasn't long before the tears stopped, and a gentle snore escaped her.

Almost two hours later, T.C. quietly entered the room to relieve Juliet and take over for his shift, his tours done for the day and the chopper in the capable hands of Shammy. He'd touched base with Rick, who was at La Mariana checking up on how things had been going in his absence. The bar owner had an uncanny knack of hiring excellent staff and he was not disappointed, well, maybe just a little, to find that things had run smoothly without him. He'd let T.C. know he'd be at the bar until he came in several hours later for his own shift at their friend's side.

Just inside the room, T.C. stopped short when he took in the scene in front of him. Higgins was sound asleep, her face turned towards the door and bearing obvious signs of tear tracks. Her left hand held onto Thomas's left and her right hand was limply lying next to his head, barely touching him, as if she needed multiple points of contact. She looked supremely uncomfortable and he resisted the urge to gently disengage her and pick her up to put her on the couch waiting against the wall of the private room Robin was paying for. He resisted because he had a healthy respect for the skills of the woman in front of him, as well as personal experience with what happened when startling someone so highly trained, out of a deep sleep. When a sort of gasping snore escaped her slightly open mouth, he bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud. The first time he'd felt like laughing in for what seemed like years.

"Higgy?" He said softly. When she didn't respond, he moved a bit closer but still out of range of her hands and feet. "Higgy?" He said a bit louder. He was rewarded when her eyelids began to flutter. "That's it, Higgy. Wake up now. It's time for my shift and for you to go home to get some real sleep."

Her eyes finally opened all the way and she raised her head from the bed. "T.C.?" She asked sleepily.

"Yeah, Higgy baby, it's me. Come on, time to head on home."

She blinked a couple times, then looked at the bed along with where her hands were, and turned a bright red, standing up quickly and turning away, wiping her hands over her face, trying to erase the already dried proof of the fact that she, Juliet Higgins, ex MI6 spy, supposed total bad ass, had been sitting by the side of his bed _weeping_. "I…"

He moved closer and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, you know. Rick and I have both shed a few tears over the last couple days ourselves. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

She sighed a little. "I know it's not, but it's something I trained myself not to do a long time ago. Never show them weakness, never show them how much you hurt."

T.C. smiled and nodded. "I can agree with that."

She frowned at him. "But…you just said…"

"I agree with not showing 'them' any chink in your armor. We aren't 'them', are we? We're Ohana. If we can't share our pain with each other, who can we?"

"No one?"

"Oh, little sister, that sounds like a lifetime of loneliness."

She warmed at his description of her and let herself lean into his side. His arms went around her, and she felt safe for the first time since she'd found Magnum on the floor of his kitchen, but she kept up her train of thought. "Maybe…maybe loneliness sounds better than what I've gone through the last few days, what we've all gone through."

"Maybe, but if you hadn't let him drag you into our circle of found family, how much duller would your life have been? Even if…even if things don't go the way we want, I wouldn't trade my time of knowing Thomas for anything. Yeah, he's a mooch and he's always talking us into doing him favors, mostly against our better judgement, but he just brings something to the room when he enters, you know? He makes you feel like you're the most important person on the planet and you just want to do things for him."

She wanted to say something snarky but found herself quietly agreeing. "I know. I don't know how he does it, how he used to talk me into doing favors for him on his various jobs, how he eventually talked me into becoming his partner. But then, I've seen him open up about the things that happened to him in that camp, just to help a teenage kidnap victim find her way. Seen him take a case for twenty-five cents a day to find a cat for a little girl who missed her best friend. I've seen him give away a two hundred and fifty-thousand-dollar reward to Luther Gillis, of all people, because he made a promise to a marine sergeant overseas. Yes, I know no one ever got the reward, but he didn't know that at the time. He takes payment in the form of whatever his clients can afford, and they adore him for it."

T.C. chuckled a little at the description of his friend. He'd seen the things she described in other places than just Hawaii. There were still people in Korea and Afghanistan, amongst other places, that owed their life, or the lives of their loved ones, to the man in the bed. He just seemed to make friends wherever he went. Unfortunately, with their past service and his current line of work, he was also making enemies.

As if sensing that his thoughts had turned a little glum, Juliet gave him a smile and moved away with a not really faked yawn. "I think it might be a good idea to head home and get some sleep. I want to be at my best tomorrow."

T.C. frowned. "Why for tomorrow?"

Realizing she had just come close to confessing Katsumoto's whole sorry plan to him, she got a grip and just shrugged her shoulders. "Tomorrow is another day. A day where anything can happen." She looked at Magnum and blinked back a few of the tears that had had the audacity to show up again. "A day where he can wake up, smile at us and ask when he can go home."

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When Higgins entered the main house, Katsumoto wandered out of the guest room he'd been assigned when both she and Kumu had decided it wasn't fair for him to be sleeping on the couch every night. If he was going to insist on sleeping at the estate every night, they'd decided the least they could do was make sure he was comfortable. He'd settled in and caught up on his personal emails as well as work, while keeping a close eye on the scanner app. Still nothing. He was starting to think Higgins was right, this wasn't going to work. He took a careful look at her when she turned from greeting the dogs, to smile a hello at him. He could see the telltale signs that she'd been crying but he would never call her attention to the fact that he'd noticed.

"How's he doing?"

"Not much change, maybe a little better. Every little bit helps, right?"

He kept his face bland, not wanting to show how surprising her vulnerability was to him. He found himself wondering exactly what the nature of their relationship was. Yes, they were partners, but, maybe, there was something more there? Instead of saying anything, he just nodded his agreement.

"Has anything come across the scanner?" She asked.

"No, nothing." He heard the frustration in his voice and knew she heard it to, when she stepped closer to him, placing a hand on his arm.

"We knew this was a long shot, detective."

"Gordy."

She smiled at him. "Gordy then." She yawned widely. "I think it's time to hit the rack." He looked at her incredulously and it took a second for her to play back what she'd just said. With a small smile, she said. "I guess I've been hanging around the boys too long myself."

He found himself smiling at her. "Maybe, that's not such a bad thing."

She smiled back. "No, maybe not. Good night, detect…Gordy."

"Good night…Juliet."

She nodded at him and headed towards her room. He watched her go and wondered again, if there was anything between her and Magnum. If not, how would she react if _he_ were to ask her out? He shook his head, knowing he'd never go there. They had a good working relationship and he didn't want to jeopardize it. Besides, although he would never admit it, he'd never really stopped loving his ex-wife. He shook himself out of his thoughts and made the rounds of the house, checking that all the doors and windows were locked. Zeus and Apollo never seemed to object to him like they did to Magnum, both dogs had just followed her to her bedroom without a second look at him. He checked the security system and finally went to bed himself, satisfied he'd done everything he could.

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The next morning, he was up early, dressed and in the kitchen, making coffee, not having slept too well, when the alert came across the scanner that they'd been waiting for. He turned to go wake her up, only to find her already behind him, having smelled the heavenly aroma of freshly brewed java. She took in the look on his face and then at the phone in his hand.

"Is it happening?"

"Yes, Narcotics is moving on the house right now." He looked at his watch. "It's 7:30, we should leave for headquarters no later than 8. That should put us at HPD between 8:30 and 9:00 depending on traffic. Can you be ready?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Of course. Let me just feed the lads and I can be ready to go in ten minutes." He nodded and turned back to the coffee to turn it off. She opened the cabinet to the right of the sink and pulled out two travel mugs, which she held out to him. "Black, please." He took them as she turned back to rummage around to get the dogs fed. Once that was done and they were wolfing down their breakfast, she disappeared into the back of the house, reappearing less than ten minutes later, dressed and ready for the day.

They were out the door at 8:02 and heading silently towards HPD HQ, neither one talking much. They'd decided to take the Ferrari as it was faster and he wasn't comfortable with using his police vehicle for personal use, especially after they'd specifically been told to back off. When they got closer, he spoke up. "Remember, we're on the way to see Magnum and I had to pick up a couple things, so we decided to pass on a call we got this morning from Ms. Tuileta's friend Akela."

Juliet raised an eyebrow. "I am fully aware of the plan, _Gordy_."

"Sorry. I'm a little nervous about this."

"I'm sure."

"What does that mean?" He turned in the passenger seat to look at her, appearing somewhat affronted and she was strongly reminded of Thomas when she questioned one of his insane plans. She smiled slightly.

"Nothing, just stating that we have a lot riding on this and it's normal to be nervous." He narrowed his eyes at her, clearly trying to determine if she meant it or was just placating him. He decided to go with honesty and faced forward again.

They pulled into HPD at 9:08, having hit major rush hour traffic. They headed up to homicide as nonchalantly as possible. Several sets of eyes looked up when he walked through the door, but not the ones they was looking for. Katsumoto paused in front of one desk. "Hey Pali, is Jennings around?"

"Yeah, he should be." The other detective looked around the room and shrugged. "He must have stepped out for a minute; he should be right back. I thought you took a few days off."

"I did, just dropped by to pick up a few things and pass some info on to Tom at the same time. I'll go get my stuff, maybe he'll be back by the time I'm done." He turned to Juliet. "I'll be right out."

"No hurry."

Katsumoto nodded and headed into his office. Juliet leaned up against Pali's desk to wait. The man tilted his head at her. "You're Magnum's partner, aren't you?"

"I am." She waited to hear whether he was a fan or a detractor.

"He's a good man and what was done to him was wrong. I know some of the other detectives don't like him, but they're still upset about what happened to him on our watch. Anything we can do, just let us know."

"Thank you. That's very kind.'

"I come from a big family and word gets around. Word about a PI who'll help you out and take chickens or goats as payment if you don't have cash on hand. That's pretty rare."

"It is, isn't it?" Although as his partner, she'd really rather he didn't take livestock as payment, she knew it was part of the man she had come to call friend and she wouldn't really want him to change.

Behind her, someone cleared their throat and she turned around to find Detective Jennings staring at her. Smiling, she held out her hand. "Detective, just the man we were here to see."

He took her hand automatically even as he shook his head. "You know that I've been taken off the case. It's with the FBI now."

"Yes, but we still wanted to pass on some information we got this morning. You can decide whether or not it's worth forwarding to the agent working the case."

"We?"

"Yes, Detective Katsumoto and I stopped in to let you know."

"You could just as easily have called." Jennings was suspicious.

"Quite, but the detective wanted something from his office, so we decided to stop in on the way to the hospital."

"Really? He's on vacation, what does he need from his office?"

"Some notes on a cold case I've been working on. Figured I'd look them over while I took a turn sitting with Magnum." Katsumoto said from behind him. Jennings turned to look at him, taking in the police folder the man was holding. "Anyway, one of Ms. Tuileta's friends called her this morning with some information that we thought might be of interest."

"Why are her friends calling her with that kind of thing?"

Juliet spoke up. "Kumu put the word out through her network of family and friends, that we were looking for anything that could help us find the people who did this to Thomas."

Jennings shook his head. "Damn it, Gordon, you know that the feds are working this and that they aren't going to be happy with anyone interfering!"

Katsumoto nodded. "I do know, but she put the word out before we discovered the connection to Seaver and long before the FBI got involved. It's nothing big, just some intel about a group of men who look military and moved into one of the seedier neighborhoods of Honolulu, complete with a large amount of electronic equipment."

Despite himself, Jennings looked interested. He still wasn't happy that his case had been taken away from him, although he understood the necessity. They needed to know just how much of their country's technology had been compromised. It just left a bad taste in his mouth to not be able to finish something he'd started. Making a decision, he nodded. "Well, seeing as you came all the way down here, we might as well take the address from you. I'll look into it and talk to the Lt. to see if we should pass it on."

Both Higgins and Katsumoto nodded, and Juliet held out the piece of paper Kumu had written the address on the day before. He took it and raised an eyebrow at where it was. "You weren't kidding. That's an area Narcotics is raiding just about every other day." He tilted his head. "I wonder if they have any information on this place?"

"We could go check." Juliet said, somewhat stunned that Katsumoto's plan seemed to be working, even better than expected. When Jennings looked like he might object, she put some pressure on. "After all, if Narcotics is aware of who might be using this house, then the information _we _brought you, is probably useless."

Jennings had a feeling something more was going on and suddenly he wanted in on whatever it was. He gave a short nod and turned on his heel, heading across the hall with the other two close on his six. He paused inside and looked for a friendly face, finding one sipping coffee at a desk in the corner. He headed over to him and stopped beside the man's desk.

Looking up to find Tom Jennings staring at him, Holokai Leinani, one of Narcotics best undercover operatives, smiled. "What can I do for Homicide this fine day, Tom?"

Jennings held out the paper. "Can you check your database for this address? Find out if there's any known drug activity there?"

"Sure." Holokai reached out and took the paper. Seeing the address, he frowned. "Is this some kind of joke?" Suddenly he didn't sound as friendly.

"Joke? No. Why?" Tom asked, wondering if he'd been had by the two at his back.

"We got a tip on this place yesterday. A team went out this morning to do a sweep and the men in the house…objected, firing on our guys. They had no choice but to fire back and none of them survived. The bodies are on their way to the morgue and the team reported that the house was loaded with guns, mostly military grade, and electronic equipment but no drugs. They packed it all up and are bringing it back here. Should be coming in any minute."

Juliet spoke up, a sick feeling in her stomach. "Were any of the officers hurt?"

"No, but not from lack of trying. From what I heard; these guys were professionals."

She breathed out a sigh of relief. If one of the responding officers had been hurt because of this plan of theirs, she would have felt like it was their fault.

"Now, how did you get this address?" Leinani asked.

"We're looking into who hurt a friend of ours and someone called another friend this morning with this address. They thought the people in there might be the ones who did it. The case has been reassigned to the FBI. We brought it to Detective Jennings, as he was the original detective assigned to it and figured he'd know the name of the agent we could pass the information on to. He recognized the area it's in and here we are."

"Well, isn't that just a huge coincidence?" Jennings said, looking at Higgins and Katsumoto.

"Not really." Katsumoto replied. "If something was going on in that house the last couple days, it's not surprising multiple people took note of it. I'm surprised you didn't get more than one tip on it."

"Actually, we did." Leinani said. "We got at least three that I know of."

"Really." Higgins said.

"And you just happened to be here on the day the raid went down?" Jennings asked.

"We were actually on the way to the hospital, where we spend quite a bit of time. Stopping by here could as easily have happened later today or tomorrow." Juliet said primly.

"Your friend? Thomas Magnum?" Leinani asked.

Jennings, Katsumoto and Higgins exchanged surprised looks. It was Katsumoto who answered. "Yeah, why?"

"I've met him a couple of times while undercover, although he didn't know I was a cop. He was always kind to me, threw me a couple bucks here and there, tried to get me to go into rehab, even said he'd go with me. I'm sorry about what happened to him. Is he doing any better?"

Juliet swallowed hard and answered. "He's improving a little bit every day. The doctors won't come out and say he's going to be okay, but they seem pleased every time the swelling goes down even the smallest amount."

"That's good to hear. I'll keep him in my thoughts."

"Thank you."

Leinani was about to say something else, when there was a commotion in the hall. It would seem that the Narcotics raid team had returned, complete with what they'd confiscated. The men looked tired, disheveled and disheartened. It was never easy to kill someone, even if they were trying to kill you at the time. The team moved into a conference room, where they each deposited a box they were carrying. Coming out, most disbursed to their individual desks to write up their reports, including the multiple officer involved shootings. The lack of chatter spoke volumes. A stocky man headed their way. Ignoring the three standing in front of the desk, he flopped down into the lone chair.

Leinani looked at him. "Hey, Carp, what happened?"

Steve Carpenter ran a hand over his face. "It was a shit show, that's what happened. We rolled up and were under fire almost immediately. We returned shots and eventually took them out, mostly due to our larger numbers and the fact that we were wearing vests. These guys? Man, they were heavily armed and knew what they were doing. We were lucky not to lose anyone."

"Any idea what they were doing?"

"Not yet. We confiscated a large number of guns and electronic equipment, including a laptop. It's encrypted and Snoop hasn't had any luck getting in." Jonathan "Snoop" Harvey, was their best tech guy and had been working on the laptop, to no avail, all the way back to HQ. If he couldn't get in, Carpenter didn't think anyone could.

"I could try." Juliet volunteered quietly.

Carpenter looked her up and down. "And you are?"

"Juliet Higgins, ex MI6."

Jennings and Leinani looked like they had just swallowed their tongues. Katsumoto smirked at the looks on their faces as he said. "She's good. I wouldn't bet against her."

"Why thank you, Detective." Juliet smiled at him. He gave her his best blank look.

Carpenter stood up. "I guess it couldn't hurt. Follow me and I'll introduce you to Snoop."

Katsumoto pulled out his phone as they began to follow the other man. "I'd better let Rick know we're going to be late to relieve him."

Juliet gave him a stern look. "Just tell him we're running late, don't mention what we're doing here. There's no guarantee we find anything related to what happened to Thomas. I refuse to get them all riled up."

"This is not my first rodeo with them. I'm well aware that even a whiff of the possibility that this is related, will result on both of them descending on HPD." They both smiled at the visual image the words invoked.

Approaching the conference room, they could see only one officer present. He was tall and gangly, a seemingly stereotypical nerd. Carpenter went in first. "Hey, Snoop. We might have gotten you some help."

The man looked up from the laptop he'd been trying to get into with no success. "At this point, I'll welcome any help." He looked up to find five people watching him and he went red. Two of them were from his squad, the other two he recognized from Homicide across the hall. That left only one unknown. The pretty blonde woman currently staring at the laptop with avarice written on her face. Bingo. This was the help. He stood up and gestured towards the chair, indicating she should sit down. She did so, with a small smile.

Pulling out her cellphone, she stared at the equipment around her and finally found what she was looking for. Reaching out, she pulled a cord towards her and connected her phone to the laptop. She pulled up an app that no one outside MI6 was supposed to have and signed in. She looked up at the people avidly watching her. "This could take a while. Why don't you gents find something else to do. I'm sure Snoop and I will be just fine."

Realizing they were unwelcome, Katsumoto, Jennings, Carpenter and Leinani left the room, listening as the two left behind begin a conversation that meant nothing to any of them. They all zeroed in on the coffee and each made themselves a cup of the horrible brew. The only saving grace was the pile of donuts that they all helped themselves to.

A little over twenty minutes later, Higgins speed walked out of the conference room and across the Narcotics squad room, her face stark white. She looked Katsumoto in the face and said. "I can't." She disappeared from view. Snoop walked out of the room.

"We got in." He said quietly.

"And?" Jennings asked.

"We found a video. It's not pretty."

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A/N2 – Yes, I ended on bit of a cliffy. Honus47 pointed that out in her own witty way: "I have been noticing something you've been doing lately in your stories. You have been leaving us hang with cliff hangers. Did that come with age? Did someone kick your pet? Were you cut off in traffic on the way to work?" No to all, well maybe that first one might be true. Truth is, I actually enjoy a good cliffhanger!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

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Katsumoto watched Higgins disappear and was torn between wanting to go after her to offer some comfort and wanting to head to the conference room to see what had her so upset. He decided on the conference room, figuring from what he knew of her that she'd want some time to collect herself privately. He turned to find the others watching him, plainly waiting to see which way he was going to jump. Sighing, he nodded towards the conference room.

"Let's go." He started towards the room and then stopped when he realized no one had followed him. "What?" He asked.

Tom tilted his head at him. "Look, Gordon, Magnum is a friend of yours. You _sure_ you want to watch what's on that video?"

"No, in fact, I'm sure I don't." He looked away for a moment and then back at the four watching him. "What I am sure of, is that he'd do it for me."

All four nodded and followed him to the room where the laptop sat waiting. Snoop, because as the tech guy, he would be needed. Carp, because it was his team that had taken the hit during the raid this morning. Tom, because it had been his case and he was damned if he was going to stay out of the loop and Leinani, because he'd meant what he said. Magnum had always been kind to him and genuinely concerned for his undercover drug addict persona. He found himself wanting to help in some way, any way. As they all piled into the room, Snoop turned on the big screen that hung from the wall and grabbed a cable to attach the laptop to it. When it connected, the frozen image of Magnum tied to a chair in his home, bloodied and bruised, appeared in technicolor. On the left side of the screen, a man dressed in black and wearing gloves, had his fist raised and was caught in mid swing. They could just make out someone else standing slightly beyond him. No one made a move to start up the video again for a few moments, as they all gathered themselves for what they knew was coming. The injuries the retired Seal had sustained were brutal and they were about to watch it happen.

Katsumoto took a deep breath and then reached out to gently tap the button that would start the video back in motion. He sat back and folded his arms across his chest, keeping his eyes on the screen. This was not going to be comfortable, but if it meant they could find evidence that Seaver ordered this, he'd sit through it as many times as needed. The raised fist hit Magnum in the eye and his head snapped back. They all sat forward to see what would happen next.

Magnum looked up at the guy who had just hit him. "What do you want?"

"We want the pictures you took of Ronald Seaver, now."

"Why?"

"That's none of your business, just give us the pictures!" The man cracked his knuckles and smiled. A look passed over Magnum's face and Katsumoto's fists clenched. It was one of resignation and he was pretty sure he knew why.

Carpenter hit stop on the playback. "That's one of our dead guys. And _Ronald Seaver_? The CEO of Seaver Tech and one of, if not _the_, richest guys on the island? What the _hell_ does he have to do with this?"

Katsumoto let Jennings fill the rest of the room in on the background of this whole sorry mess, including the fact that the FBI now had jurisdiction, everyone's eyebrows shooting up at the information about a Chinese spy in their midst. He wasn't particularly surprised when no one suggested they stop what they were doing and immediately hand the laptop over to the federal agency. He kept his eyes on the screen as he listened to the others talk, while analyzing the look on his friend's face while he did so. He didn't like what he saw. He swallowed hard when Carp started up the video again.

"I don't know what pictures you're talking about and I've never heard of this Donald Weaver." Thomas said on the screen. The fist flashed out again and this time caught him in the mouth, a spray of blood flashing bright and red and then disappearing.

Smiling up the man who'd just hit him, Magnum spat out some blood and the other man jumped back. The smirk on his face told those watching that the P.I. had just spit on his attacker's shoes. Retaliating, the man drove his fist into Magnum's stomach. The breath was driven from him as he tried to bend forward to alleviate the pain, but he was tied too tightly to the chair. "I can't give you what I don't have!" He gasped out.

This time Tom leaned forward and hit the stop button. Frowning, he looked at Katsumoto. "I don't get it. We know he had the pictures and that he knew who Seaver was. Why didn't he just give them to these guys and save himself?"

Gordon took a moment to marshal his thoughts before he answered. "Three reasons. First, because he knew he was dead either way. Second, because the longer he stalled, the better the chance that someone just might come by and help him out. Third, and most importantly, because he's a stubborn son of a bitch."*

"How would he know he was going to be killed?" Snoop asked. He sounded as young as he looked. While he was with the Narcotics team and a police officer, he was there for his technical expertise, not his criminal investigative skills. Yes, he went out on raids with the guys, something he'd insisted on, but he was never on the front line. This morning's shoot out still had him a bit rattled.

Carp was the one who answered. "The look on this guy's face and his tone of voice. Whether they got the pictures or not, Magnum was not going to be allowed to live and he knew it. If they left him alive, he'd be able to tell the police what these guys looked like and that they were somehow linked to Seaver. They knew that going in or they'd never have let him see their faces. From what you said, he'd already uploaded the pictures to the cloud, so giving them up wouldn't have made any difference to him. He had one play and that was to not give up the camera in the hope that someone showed up before it was end game." He looked at Katsumoto. "Based on the injuries just described to us, your third assessment would appear to be true as well." He looked back at the screen. "He is one stubborn son of a bitch to still be alive."

"You got that right." Gordan responded quietly. Carp leaned forward and hit play.

"We know you have the pictures, you idiot! Why would we be here if we didn't?" The man in black sneered at the man in the chair.

Still faintly wheezing, Magnum sneered back. "Mistaken identity? Incompetence? Stupidity? Ineptitude? Should I continue?"

A murderous look passed over the man's face and he reached out a hand. The man off screen handed him a baseball bat. He took it and began to bounce it into his open hand with the other, looking menacingly at the man tied to the chair. Instead of looking scared, Magnum chuckled. "Really? How cliché."

"I'll show you cliché!" The bat flashed out and caught him in the ribs. An audible crack sounded, and Magnum's face went white, but he didn't make a sound. The man again bounced the bat in his hand. "Well?"

"Well what? Still can't give you what I don't have." Magnum said between pants as he tried to breathe through the pain.

"We know Seaver's moron of a wife hired you to follow him. To get proof of him cheating on her so she could get her greedy hands on money she didn't work a day in her life to make! Stop lying to me and give me the pictures!"

Staring up at him, Magnum didn't respond as the wheels were turning. Everyone watching the video knew the instant that he'd figured out it was more than pictures of Seaver being indiscreet that these guys were after. This guy was totaling overacting on trying to convince him that it was _only_ about Seaver and his mistress. Sighing and then gasping a little when his ribs protested, he asked. "So, what else was caught on these pictures I'm supposed to have of your boss?"

A look of surprise passed over the man's face and he stopped bouncing the bat for a moment. He clearly hadn't expected the beaten man to have guessed that there was something more than infidelity going on. Recovering, he shook his head. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I just want the pictures of Ronald Seaver and any women he may have met with."

"So. If I had these supposed pictures, I could keep any that don't show him being unfaithful?" Magnum jeered back.

"Just give me all the pictures!" Those watching the video knew the P.I. had gotten under the man's skin and he was rapidly losing it.

"I'll say it again and this time slowly so that even you can understand. I. Do. Not. Know. What. Pictures. You're. Talking. About." Thomas enunciated each word slowly, as if speaking to a child. The bat bouncing sped up and then stopped.

Leaning forward, he spat out the words. "We killed the dogs that guarded the estate. Next, we'll kill the little majordomo you seem to be so friendly with, if you don't cooperate _now_."

Magnum glared up at the man, all traces of pretend humor gone, replaced by sheer loathing. "If you killed those dogs, there is nowhere on this planet you can hide from her. I wouldn't give a plugged nickel for your survival. She'll wipe the floor with you, with one hand tied behind her back. You're all dead men walking." He spat out.

"Oh, please. Like any of us are scared of _her_!"

Magnum cocked his head as he smiled up at his tormentor, although it didn't reach his eyes. "You didn't do your homework, did you?" And then the P.I. barked out a laugh, which sent the other man into orbit. He swung the bat again, coming in from the other side, with the same loud resulting crack. This time Magnum started to gulp for air and those watching winced in sympathy.

"I want those pictures!"

Off screen, another voice sounded. "Kiley, I found this hidden in his bedroom." Another man appeared in front of the laptop, holding out the missing camera. The other man who'd been too far away to id, stepped forward as well. Katsumoto looked at Carp who nodded.

"Those are the three we took down." He said quietly.

On screen, the man named Kiley grinned down at Magnum. "Well, looks like we don't need you anymore, private dick."

"I prefer Private Investigator." Thomas responded immediately.

"Yeah, well, maybe someone will put that on your tombstone." The man holding the camera said with a laugh.

"Maybe they will. What will they put on yours when my friends track you down and kill you? Here lies a sociopath who wasn't quick or good enough?" Magnum retorted. The laughter fled and the man looked at Kiley as if for permission.

"Go for it, MacPherson. This guy's pissing me off."

MacPherson handed the camera to the third guy. "Trenton, hold this." He turned back to Magnum, cracking his knuckles. Thomas rolled his eyes and said. "My God, did you all read the same how to be a bad guy manual? This is really just sad."

MacPherson sneered. "Let's see how sad you feel in a minute." He pulled back his hand and deliberately punched the P.I. as hard as he could in the left side, where the baseball bat had broken ribs a few minutes earlier. Magnum's face contorted and he started to pant but he didn't let out any sounds of pain. Those watching knew that this must have been when his lung was punctured. He blinked a few times and slowed his breathing.

"Nice try." His voice was not quite as strong as it had been but there was no trace of pain, he was obviously still determined not to give in to them. Kiley moved forward, making sure that he wasn't blocking the video camera, and pulled out a knife, handing the bat to MacPherson. He ran the point of the knife down Thomas's face, moving on to his neck, pausing to nick the skin a little by his Adam's apple. Continuing downward, he made a show of pausing and then moving on, apparently thinking he was keeping Magnum in suspense. Something he was disabused of when the retired Seal said. "Oh, for goodness sake…just get it over with, will you? You're starting to bore me."

Kiley's lips tightened in anger and he quickly slid the knife down Magnum's right side and then pushed it in up to the handle. The blood started to well up immediately. Both men watched in fascination for a moment and then Kiley smiled. "Fast enough for you?"

Completely ignoring the question, Magnum looked up at him and pouted. "Damn it all, this was one of my favorite shirts." Kiley pulled out the knife and let the blood drip off it onto Magnum's knee. He then wiped the blade on the man's shorts. "AND my favorite shorts! Do you know how hard it is to get blood out?"

Kiley raised one hand as if to slap the other man across the face but then thought better of it. Smiling, he put his hand out for the bat, which MacPherson eagerly handed back to him. This time it was Snoop who paused the video. At this point, Katsumoto just wanted to get through it and was aggravated by the constant stopping. He turned to look at the tech and tell him off, when he realized the man was looking a little green and was staring at the screen with his mouth slightly open. "How the hell is he not screaming in pain?" He asked almost plaintively.

"Because he has a high threshold for pain and he's a stubborn son of a bitch." Came a female voice behind them. Higgins had returned unbeknownst to them. Katsumoto wondered how long she'd been standing there. They'd all been so wrapped up in the video, he doubted any of them had noticed. He turned to look at her and she met his eyes. What he saw there told him she'd been there long enough, maybe even long enough to hear how the men had tried to use her and the dogs against Magnum. And how he'd responded, sounding so proud and sure of her.

Snoop looked at her. "Even a high threshold for pain isn't enough to deal with multiple broken ribs, a punctured lung and a stab wound!"

She looked at him for a moment and then spoke without really thinking. "From the things that Rick and T.C. have told me over the year or so I've known them, the entire time they were in that POW camp, the only time Magnum screamed, was when Nuzo had to use ignited gun powder to cauterize a wound in his side. With no anesthesia, no pain medication and no antibiotics. Just a stick to bite on."

"Jesus." Katsumoto breathed out. It seemed like every time he turned around, he found out something about Magnum that blew his initial assessment of the man out of the water.

"POW? Gun…gun…" Snoop stuttered, looking like he was about to pass out or throw up.

"Yes, gun powder cauterization. That, and his sheer stubbornness, are the only reasons he's still alive today. What these men did to him, pales in comparison to what he's already gone through in his life. They had no idea who they were dealing with."

"Sometimes, I'm not sure we do either." Katsumoto said.

She looked at him. "No, I'm sure we don't. And I'm sure he feels the same about us at times. What I do know, is that he is a very kind and intelligent man and a loyal friend. A man who would do anything for someone he felt was being wronged, even if they couldn't pay him for it." She smiled at him a little. He smiled back, happy to see a bit of the old Higgins back. A compliment and a complaint rolled up into one.

He turned back to the others. "We must be getting close to the end. Let's finish this. And Snoop?"

"Yeah?"

"When we're done, this will need to be turned over to the FBI. Doesn't mean we can't make a copy of everything that's on the hard drive first."

"You've got it." He looked at the screen and then back to Katsumoto. "When this is all over and if he wakes up…"

"When he wakes up!" Juliet interrupted. "_When_."

He nodded sheepishly. "Of course. _When_ he wakes up, would you introduce me to him?"

Katsumoto and Higgins nodded. They both had the feeling Magnum would take to the man. They all turned back to the screen and Snoop hit play. What followed wasn't pretty as Kiley took the bat to Magnum, eventually hitting him in the head and knocking him out cold. Most likely causing the skull fracture that had led to the bleeding and swelling of his brain. The mercenary stared at the unconscious man in the chair and frowned.

"Somehow, that wasn't as satisfying as I'd hoped." He turned to MacPherson. "You two, get him out of that chair and shove him behind the counter. He'll die eventually."

"Why not just put a bullet in his head and be done with it?" Trenton asked.

"I like the idea of him slowly bleeding out. He shouldn't have pissed me off!" Kiley pulled back a leg and kicked Thomas in the leg.

Trenton and MacPherson cut the ropes binding Magnum to the chair. He slumped to the right and Trenton caught him. They lifted him up by the arms and dragged him behind the kitchen island, leaving a trail of blood, where they unceremoniously dropped him. Kiley walked over and dropped the knife and bat beside him.

"Don't you think we should take those?" MacPherson asked.

"Nah." Kiley smiled. "Let's leave the homicide cops something to get their hopes up. Both the knife and bat are commonplace and can be bought anywhere. I paid cash so there's no credit card trail. We all wore gloves, so won't leave any prints. We won't show up on any of the surveillance tapes thanks to Trenton's hacking skills. They'll be scratching their heads and chasing their tails for weeks until they give up."

The three men laughed and then MacPherson walked off screen and the video went to black. No one said anything for several charged moments until Katsumoto stood up and stalked from the room. No one followed him. Leinani sat quietly, trying to process what he'd seen. He'd been a detective for a long time, seen a lot of bad things, but this was the first time he'd dealt with something like this. To watch a man, someone he knew to be one of the good ones, get beaten almost to death, and not be able to do a damn thing about it.

Snoop quietly disconnected the laptop from the screen and hooked it up to an external hard drive. He entered the commands to copy all data from the laptop to it and then sat back, staring at the laptop screen, not really seeing the information scrolling across it. He wasn't sure what to think about what he'd seen. He was starting to have second thoughts about police work. He knew he could get into the private sector and make a significantly higher salary.

Carp watched him, knowing exactly what was going through his mind. It happened to a lot of cops. That one case, that one crime scene, that made you question humanity and if you had what it took to keep doing this job. For him, it was one of his first cases as a street cop. He and his partner had caught a murder suicide where a woman had shot her husband, her two children, one of whom was only a couple months old, and then had turned the gun on herself. It was the children who had made him run from the scene, vomiting into the road. His partner had told him something that still resonated with him and he spoke the words to Snoop as he put his hand on the young man's shoulder.

"If we don't do what we do, there'll be no one to stop this from happening again. No one standing between them and the defenseless." Snoop looked up at him and frowned. "The three men who did this are dead. They've paid for their crimes. We did that. We stopped them from hurting anyone else." The younger man thought for a moment and then nodded. He'd stick with it. There was a reason he'd gone into police work instead of sitting in a cube, writing code all day. He'd wanted to help people, and this was the way he'd chosen to do it. Carpenter turned to leave the room but found himself facing Juliet Higgins.

Quietly, Juliet said to him, soft enough that Snoop wouldn't hear. "I agree with you. It's why we all do what we do. Still, it would have been nice to be able to interrogate at least one of them."

"The video will have to do."

"Maybe, but Seaver can just say he has no idea who these men are and why they would use his name or be after the pictures. That they were after something else Thomas had and were using subterfuge to mask what it was."

"He could say the same thing if one of them was alive and talking. Not like it's going to matter. The feds aren't going to let us run with this. They're going to sit on everything until they can figure out what Seaver may or may not have done."

She looked at the black screen and nodded. She was glad they were dead. She only wished she'd been the one to do it. She held out her hand and Carpenter shook it. She turned to leave the room to go find Katsumoto. At the door, she turned back and said. "Thank you. Thank you for what you did and for letting us be here."

"I'm not going to ask how you just happened to be here when we brought in information related to Magnum's attack. I'm not a huge believer in coincidences." Her face remained blank as she stared back at him. "I am, however, a huge believer in Karma. These men got theirs. Seavers will get his. And, if there's any justice, Magnum will as well. I'd be pleased to join Snoop when he goes to meet your partner."

She tilted her head at him. "I do believe he'd like that." She turned and walked out of the room.

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A/N - *shout out to one of my favorite episodes, The Day the Past Came Back. Rick responded to the idea that Magnum had been taken to force Robin Masters into paying a ransom, with "Because he's a stubborn son of a bitch and his pride won't let him."


	10. Chapter 10

A/N – This one is a bit of a slow read. Not sure how I got here…lol.

A/N2 – Forgot my disclaimer when I started – I don't own Magnum PI or it's characters. I'm just playing with them for a while.

Chapter 10

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Carp watched Higgins leave the room and turned back to find Jennings and Leinani looking at him. Snoop, however, was glued to the computer. Not that that was a rare occurrence. He raised an eyebrow and Jennings spoke up hesitantly.

"Look, Carp, I know that your team brought in the evidence, and I know they took some heavy fire getting it, but would you be okay if we gave it to Lt. Akana? He's the one with the contact at the FBI. Giving that agent this information could go a long way towards getting a bit of quid pro quo."

Steve thought about it for a moment and then nodded. Looking at Snoop, he asked. "Snoop?" When he got no response, he looked closer at his tech and recognized that look of deep concentration. The younger man was deeply thinking about _something_. He tried a bit louder. "_Snoop_?"

Startled, Snoop looked up at the men watching him. "What?"

Carp hid a smile. "How long until the files from the laptop are copied?"

Looking back at the laptop, the tech frowned. "There's a lot of data on this thing. It's going to be a bit longer but we're close." He looked back up at his boss and the other two detectives. "So, I've been thinking…" He paused.

Carp waited a few seconds and then prompted him when nothing was forthcoming. "About what?"

"The fact that we have a Chinese spy, a British spy and an American spy involved in this. How off the wall is that for an HPD case? Sounds more like something 5-0 would handle."

Carp raised an eyebrow. "I get the Chinese and British spies, but where are you coming up with an American one in this mess?"

Warming to his topic, Snoop sat up straight. "Have you ever read any of the Robin Masters White Knight books?" All three men nodded. "Well, think about it! Thomas Magnum is a retired Seal. He lives on Masters's estate, correct? That's where the attack took place? That must mean that the two of them are friends, right?"

Jennings answered all three questions with one response. "Yeah. So?"

"So, Masters dedicates all his books to the team he was embedded with in Afghanistan. Says they're the inspiration for everything he's written, especially the one called the White Knight. The White Knight is a Seal and does undercover spy work for Naval Intelligence. Like I said, Magnum lives on Masters's estate and is a retired Seal. Would it really be a stretch of the imagination to think that Magnum is the White Knight?"

Leinani barked out a laugh. "Snoop, please! Those books are works of fiction. I mean, the White Knight parachuted into North Korea from space! Even with a spacesuit, anyone would burn up upon reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. There's no way that happened, not to Magnum, not to anyone!"

"Maybe that one's a bit out there. However, various Special Forces teams have been known to HALO jump into enemy territory."

Jennings spoke up. "HALO? Like in the video game?"

Snoop shook his head, adding a roll of his eyes for good measure. "No, no, no. The video game is sci-fi and about interstellar war. High Altitude, Low Opening or HALO, is a military tactic used by Special Forces, including the Green Berets, Delta teams, the Air Force and Navy _Seals_. The plane flies at anywhere from 3 to 6 miles above the ground. This puts them out of the range of surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft cannons. The parachutist jumps from the plane after performing pre-breathing exercises for upwards of forty-five minutes before hand. They wear a flight helmet, flight suit and have to carry an oxygen bottle due to how thin the air is up there. After jumping, they then free fall until opening their chute at as low as 3000 feet above the ground. It helps keep them off radar and doesn't give the casual observer much time to see and report them. I can only imagine the adrenalin rush from that! Then there's HAHO jumps. That's High Altitude, High Opening. The same concept as HALO jumps except they open their chutes under a minute after leaving the plane as that allows the parachutist to travel longer distances. Both types of jumps are risky as the jumper can suffer from hypoxia or decompression sickness and, for the HALO jumper, they could become too disoriented to open the chute or even unconscious so they _can't_ do it. Can you even imagine the impact if someone hit the ground at that speed? It would just about shatter every bone in their body. They can also suffer from frostbite as they're facing temperatures at almost 50 degrees below zero, Celsius." He shuddered. "I can't believe the nerve it must take to do something like that."

Tom shook his head. "I can't imagine any reason to jump out of a perfectly good airplane, other than that it's either about to explode or crash!"

Snoop nodded. "I've always wanted to try skydiving, but I've never worked up the nerve."

"Well, sounds like you've done quite a bit of research on it." Leinani said.

"Yeah, I did, especially after reading Masters's books. I actually researched a bunch of different things Masters had the White Knight or his team do, as I wanted to know if any of them were possible. Everything was, even if the books…exaggerated them a bit, like jumping from an actual space platform."

Carp shook his head. "Still doesn't make Magnum the White Knight. He's probably an amalgamation of a whole host of different people Masters met while being a war journalist, along with a healthy dose of imagination thrown in."

"I'm not sure about that. I googled Magnum a couple minutes ago and didn't get much beyond the fact that he was a POW like Ms. Higgins said. He and his team escaped after eighteen months in captivity. The article I skimmed through didn't mention what was done to them there but her description of that one incident was pretty horrific. It did, however, single him out as being a highly decorated soldier. The perfect kind of guy to base those novels on, wouldn't you say?"

Leinani frowned and looked at Carpenter. Hesitantly he asked. "You don't think…."

Carp shook his head, though not as vehemently as he might have earlier. "Nah. I mean, what are the odds?"

"Probably pretty high against it but think about what Snoop said. First, Magnum's a retired Seal. Second, he must be very good friends with the author to be living on his estate and third, he's pretty much a decorated war hero, which means he could have very well have been into some spy like stuff."

"You're starting to sound like Snoop. I'm sure Masters has plenty of friends who were in service."

"Maybe, but, again, how many of them are now living in his home?"

Carp opened his mouth and then closed it, not sure what to think. Finally, he said. "Whether Magnum is, or isn't, the White Knight, is not our concern right now. _Right now_, we need to get the files from this laptop copied and then get it to Lt. Akana to turn over to the feds. How much longer?" He turned to look at his tech.

Snoop turned his attention back to the laptop; sure he'd been _this close_ to convincing the others about his theory. "About another two or three minutes should do it."

"Great." Carp turned back to Jennings. "Once Snoop's done, the two of us will take the laptop to Akana. Do you think we should tell him we made the copy?"

A couple of days ago Tom wouldn't have been too sure but, after having heard his boss tacitly give approval to Katsumoto to keep on Magnum's case despite the feds taking it over, he was more comfortable thinking the man would not only approve of this, but be glad they had thought to make the copy, so he nodded. "Yeah, I think we need to be above board with him about it. If he finds out later that we did this, he won't be happy."

Carp nodded, taking his cue from the other detective. "Fine." He turned to Snoop to ask once again how much longer, only to find the tech holding out the laptop to him. He smiled at the younger man and took it. "Thanks Snoop. While we're passing this on, why don't you do a deep dive into that copy and find out what else is on there?"

"Do you…do you think we'll find more stuff like that video?" He looked uneasy.

Carp patted him on the shoulder. "There might be. There's no need for you to view them from beginning to end if there are. Just watch a few seconds, log it and move on."

Snoop sighed with relief and nodded. Carp turned to the other two and motioned that they should leave. Leinani looked at the young man now attaching an HPD laptop to the external hard drive and shook his head no. "I think I'll stay here with the kid and help him out." The kid in question looked up with a look of gratitude on his face. Carp nodded and turned, following Jennings out of the room.

While the men were discussing whether or not Thomas Magnum was the White Knight, Higgins was searching for Katsumoto with no success. She'd tried his cell phone, but he wasn't answering. She'd started her search in the homicide squad room, but Pali hadn't seen him since they'd left to go hack into the laptop. She then began a systematic hunt for the missing man, beginning on the first floor and moving floor by floor until she reached the top one, going from room to room with no luck. Frustrated, she went back to homicide where she found Jennings and Carpenter in deep discussion with Lt. Akana. Seeing her enter the room, all three men stopped talking. Walking up to them, she nodded. "Gentlemen."

Jennings smiled at her. "Ms. Higgins. I thought you'd left."

"I'm actually trying to find Detective Katsumoto. I've looked everywhere in the building, but I can't seem to find him anywhere. As I drove here, I know he didn't leave, at least not by car."

Akana tilted his head at her. Making a decision, he said quietly. "Try the roof." Jennings and Carpenter both looked surprised at both the fact that the Lt. might know where the other man was and that he had elected to share that information.

"The roof?" Juliet asked in surprise.

"Yes. He goes up there when something is troubling him."

All three exchanged glances; dumbfounded that he was that aware of the other man's activities. Akana raised an eyebrow at their expressions and sighed. "I pay attention to the men and women who report to me. I make it a point to know what they're working on, if they're troubled by something. Gordon is a good man, a good cop. When he's upset about how a case is going, he goes up to the roof to clear his head."

Juliet nodded. "Thank you. I'll try up there right now." She turned to leave the room. Jennings and Carpenter watched her for a second and then turned back to Akana who returned their look with a bland expression.

"Should we continue our discussion about this laptop and it's contents? As well as the fact that you found it fit to make a copy, knowing that the feds are going to want all the information on it kept quiet?" Akana's voice held no censure. Clearly, he was not displeased at the idea.

Higgins had to smile when she heard the conversation behind her as she made her way towards the roof. She took the stairs to the top floor and then followed the signs for the roof. She frowned at the metal ladder that led upwards, then shrugged and grabbed hold of a rung, pulling herself upwards. When she reached the top, she pushed upwards on the trap door, surprised at how easily it opened. Someone obviously kept it well maintained. She wondered if it were HPD or Katsumoto himself. She levered herself up and over the lip, searching the area for her errant detective. She found him at the edge, leaning on the wall surrounding it, apparently lost in thought as he stared out at the city. She cleared her throat as she approached, not wanting to startle him.

Without looking around, he asked. "How did you find me?"

"Your boss told me where you'd be."

This got his attention as he turned to look at her in shock. "He did?"

"Yes, apparently he keeps tabs on you and the rest of his people. He knew you come up here when something is bothering you."

He turned back to his view of the city below and asked her. "Something is. Why did they film the attack? It doesn't make sense. Evidence like that could convict all of them of attempted murder, if they were still alive."

"I don't know. Proof that they did the job they were hired to do?"

"Turning over the camera and memory card would have been enough to do that. In fact, just the memory card would do."

"I know. It makes no sense."

Katsumoto frowned. "I hate to say this but, marketing video?"

"I beg your pardon?!" She sounded shocked.

He turned around, leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. "We all know the dark web is out there and here to stay. You can buy anything, or hire anyone, to do pretty much whatever you want, as long as you know how. So, you want to hire someone, like a mercenary, to do a dirty job. How do you know if who you contract with can do what you want? They provide you with a video of a prior undertaking, that's how."

She paled. "That's revolting!"

"Do you have a better explanation?"

"No. Maybe." She paused. "What if…what if it were for personal…enjoyment…at a later time?"

He grimaced. "That's every bit as disgusting."

"I know."

He sighed. "Still, we know there's a market for bondage and snuff films so there are people are out there who…enjoy that kind of thing."

"I don't even know how to process that notion." She thought back to what he'd said about marketing, suddenly finding it a more appealing explanation than she'd first thought. She couldn't bear the idea of anyone deriving pleasure from watching the beating Thomas had taken. "If it were to be used for…for…advertising their skills, I doubt anyone would hire someone who put a video out there with their client's name so prominently used."

"Well, based on what they did at the estate, Trenton has, or rather had, some pretty amazing hacking skills. I would think editing out the parts that mention Seaver would be child's play for them."

She nodded and then sighed. "I don't suppose we'll ever know what their motivation was. Even if there are other videos of other jobs on that laptop, the questions will remain the same."

"Agreed." He uncrossed his arms. "What are they doing with the laptop?"

"It's been turned over to your boss who will, in turn, hand it over to his contact at the FBI."

"Did they tell him they'd made a copy?"

"Yes."

"And?"

She smiled at him. "He didn't seem particularly upset about it."

He smiled back. "I'm not surprised. He's a good man who follows the rules, but he's every bit as territorial as the next cop." He looked at his watch, shocked to see how late it was. "We should get going to the hospital, we're already very late for your shift."

"Quite. However, I think the boys will understand when we tell them that the men who put Thomas in the hospital to start with, are all dead."

He nodded. "I agree, but we don't mention the laptop. At least, not yet. I'm not sure either one of them would be able to handle the fact that they filmed the whole thing. They may just take it into their heads to storm down here and demand to see it. It's not something I want either one to see right now, if ever."

"Agreed. I'm not sure I'll be able to handle what I saw, and I didn't even see the whole thing."

"Yeah, well I did and I'm expecting some pretty vivid nightmares from this one myself." He looked at her. "I know you talked about how much pain he can endure and we both know how pig-headed he can be, but still. How the _hell_ did he take that kind of beating without making a sound?"

She tilted her head at him. "He's Magnum. I'm not sure if we'll ever be able to understand him completely. For all the simple laid-back persona he lets most people see, underneath it, he's a pretty complex man with a very varied background."

"I'll say. I don't suppose you can ever really know another human being, not totally."

"No, but one can come close and over the past months, Thomas has let us see more of him than he's let anyone else. Other than his brothers, that is. I'm beginning to think that's a bit of an honor and indicates his trust in us."

He huffed out a laugh, although it sounded strained. "Next thing you'll be telling me he's the inspiration for Masters's White Knight character."

She hid a smile, wondering what the detective's reaction would be if she confirmed that he was, in fact, the one the character was based on. Even Thomas didn't know she knew, or at least she didn't think he did. She was beginning to question what he did, or didn't, know. "Oh, I wouldn't go that far! He may be a lot of things, but I highly doubt he's all that. Now, let's get to the hospital."

She turned and he followed her. Once they got to the trap door, he insisted on going first and helping her down. She was more than capable of getting down by herself, but she allowed him the small conceit that he was keeping her from harm. Together, they walked down to homicide, neither talking. Once they arrived, they sought out Jennings. Akana had disappeared back into his office, no doubt making a call to the FBI. Carpenter had gone back to Narcotics.

"Tom?"

The other detective looked up. "Ah, I see Ms. Higgins was able to track you down."

"Yeah and now we're heading to the hospital. Juliet has the next shift and I have the one after her. I'm going to drop her off and grab something to eat while I go over this file." He picked up the one he'd taken from his office as part of their ruse but had left on Tom's desk when they'd gone over to Narcotics. It was, in fact, a cold case that he was interested in and did plan to review over the next few days when he had free time. "You'll keep us in the loop regarding anything else you find on the copy of the laptop?"

"Yes. As soon as I hear anything, I'll let you know."

"Thanks Tom."

"Yes, thank you detective." Juliet held out her hand and he took it.

"It's Tom."

"Juliet."

He tilted his head a little. "Never thought I'd be on a first name basis with an ex-British spy."

She smiled at him. "You never really know, do you?" He looked confused for a moment and then had to smile back. They took their leave and it was a quiet ride to Queen's Medical, both lost in their own thoughts. Juliet parked the car and they both sat for a moment, taking the time to gather themselves before entering Magnum's room. When they both felt ready, they headed up.

Quietly entering the room, they expected to find Rick but were surprised to find both him and T.C. there. Both looked up when the door opened. Rick was the first to speak. "Well, look what the cat dragged in." He sounded exhausted.

Juliet opened her mouth, but Katsumoto beat her to it. "We had a good reason for how late we are." He looked at both men. "HPD got the men who did this."

Both stood up immediately. "Are they in custody?" Rick asked.

At the same time, T.C. asked. "Can we see them? Or are the feds refusing to let them talk to the police?"

Juliet responded quietly. "The FBI has no say in the matter. All three men are dead."

"Dead." Rick breathed out. "How?"

The detective answered. "Narcotics got several tips on a house being used by some suspicious men, men who didn't fit into the neighborhood. Men with a lot of electronic equipment. When the team attempted to breech the house, they opened fire. Our men could do nothing but to react accordingly. Those men were not going to be taken alive. Our guys were lucky to walk away, from what we were told."

Rick asked. "How do you know these guys were involved?"

"They recovered a laptop from the scene that indicated Seaver hired them." He skirted around the truth.

T.C. narrowed his eyes at them. "And you just happened to be at HPD when this went down?"

Katsumoto swallowed. "It was a coincidence."

Rick snorted. "Like hell. This is why you were so antsy yesterday, isn't it? You knew this was going down and you kept it from us!" He advanced on the man, T.C. coming to stand behind him.

Juliet stepped between them and held up a hand. "We both knew this was a possibility. We didn't want you to get your hopes up. We needed you to focus on Thomas. He's your primary concern right now."

Rick rounded on her. "But not yours?"

"That's not fair! Both of us have been working non-stop on this, ignoring the fact that the FBI will not appreciate our interference. I know he's your brother, but he means so much to both of us as well."

Katsumoto moved up and put a hand on her shoulder. "Juliet is right, we wanted you to focus on Magnum while we took care of this. I wish it had turned out differently, but at least some sort of justice had been served."

Juliet added. "Gordy was only doing what he thought best, and I agreed with him."

Rick and T.C. got distracted by the fact that both had just called each other by their first names and one a nickname to boot. Neither was sure they liked this newest development. They were all distracted when one of the machines surrounding Magnum started to shrill.

~,~,~,~,~

A/N3 – I know nothing about HALO or HAHO jumping. All of it came from google. If I got anything wrong, please let me know and I'll correct it. Joni added some things her significant other volunteered about it.

A/N4 – Yes, a cliffy. This one's for you Joni!


	11. Chapter 11

hapter 11

~,~,~,~,~

The sound of the machine blaring out its distress filled the room. As one, all four turned to the door, intent on finding help. None of them got a chance to take even a step before two nurses speed walked in, completely focused on their patient and ignoring them, other than a quick glance. Less than a minute later, Doctor Mahelona hurried in, having been paged about an issue with Magnum.

He took one look at the crowd in the room and glared at them. "Outside." Rick opened his mouth to respond, but the man beat him to it. "Now." His tone left no doubt that they were to leave immediately. Without even waiting to see if they obeyed, he focused his attention on the man in the bed, carefully checking the monitors and putting his stethoscope in his ears. The four friends quietly left the room.

Outside, they stared at each other, worry etched onto their faces. Rick was the first to speak. "Juliet, I'm sorry. I should never have said that to you. I know you're worried about him, just as much as any of us are. I don't really have an excuse other than I'm so tired and so scared that we're going to lose him."

She nodded and her eyes filled with tears at the beaten down sound of his voice. Without saying anything, she acted out of character and stepped forward to put her arms around his waist, resting her head on his chest. He immediately wrapped his arms around her and held on tight. She had a moment's thought that she couldn't breath but decided against saying anything just yet. The pressure lightened up in a second, but his arms remained.

He looked over her head at the detective. "I owe you an apology as well. I know you only did what you thought best. You were right, our place was here with him. We know that you've been doing everything you can, and on your own time. I'm sure that you two were instrumental in finding the men who did this." He took one hand from around Juliet and held it out to him. Katsumoto nodded and took it. T.C. moved forward and held out his as well. The other man shook it too. The big man then patted Higgins's shoulder, realizing he should have stood up for her after having been the one to find her asleep at Tommy's side, tear marks on her face. She released one arm from around Rick to put her hand over his. The four stood there like that for several minutes without speaking. When the door opened, they moved apart and waited for whatever news the doctor might have to tell them.

Mahelona looked at the four worried faces watching him and almost had second thoughts about the riot act he'd been planning on reading them. Almost. Thinking of his patient in the room behind him, he decided he had to make it clear about what had just happened.

"First of all, why were there four of you in there? You know the ICU rules only allow one at a time. I've been flexible with you, allowing two and allowing 24/7 access. I hope you don't make me regret that." His voice was stern as he folded his arms over his chest.

Katsumoto responded. "We were only there for a few minutes. I was just dropping off Ms. Higgins before going to get something to eat and both Mr. Wright and Mr. Calvin were about to leave."

As if he hadn't spoken, the doctor continued. "Second, what were you talking about in there? Were you arguing or discussing something that you know he has an issue with?"

T.C. blinked rapidly a few times and then said softly. "Are you saying that you think we caused what just happened in there?"

"Your friend's blood pressure spiked dangerously high. I can find no physical reason for it and it's now back to an acceptable level. The only thing I can think of is external stimuli."

Rick's right arm went around Juliet again and she leaned into him, feeling guilty. T.C. swallowed and responded when no one else did. "We might have had a small disagreement as well as a discussion about the fact that the men who did this to him were found by HPD and elected to fight back against arrest. They're dead."

The doctor closed his eyes and sighed. They respectfully waited for him to continue. Opening his eyes again, he said quietly. "Mr. Magnum may be unconscious, but I think this shows you that he still has some awareness of his surroundings. He may not have known exactly what you were arguing or talking about, but he picked up on the tension in the room. You need to be more careful or I _will_ restrict your access. Is that understood?" All four nodded. He looked at each carefully. "I mean this. Something like that could negatively impact his healing."

Rick paled. "Did we…did we…" He couldn't continue as Juliet buried her face in his chest, the last few days catching up to her as a wave of despair swept over her, thinking that they could be the final reason Magnum didn't survive this.

The doctor shook his head. "No, I don't see any deterioration in his condition." At the look of relief on their faces, he held up a hand. "We were lucky this time. _Very_ lucky. Next time, luck may not be on his side. He is still a very ill man and he needs peace and quiet as much as he may need his friends by his side. If I have to chose between the two, I _will_ put a no visitors order into place."

Katsumoto held out his hand. "It won't happen again. I can promise you that."

The man shook it and added one more thing. "See that it doesn't. I meant what I said." His face softened as he looked at T.C. and Rick. "I think you two need to go home to get some food and rest before you keel over." He looked at his watch and then back at them. "I need to go, I'm already late for rounds. I'll check back on him later." He turned and left. The others watched him go and then turned back to each other, Juliet stepping back from Rick and looking at him critically.

"He's right, you know. You look knackered." She looked over at T.C. "Both of you. Why don't you go home and get some rest like the doctor ordered? I'll be here for this shift and Gordy will take over for me in a few hours. Neither one of you should come back until later tonight."

Rick nodded and then decided to address something else that had been bothering him, but in a joking way so that they wouldn't know it _was_ bugging him. He raised an eyebrow and forced a smile. "_Gordy_?"

The detective smirked. "I hardly think we could continue calling each other Ms. Higgins and Detective Katsumoto with the amount of time we've been spending together."

Rick wasn't sure he liked that answer. He didn't want the dynamics of his little Ohana to change, unless it were between Thomas and Juliet. He wasn't even sure why, other than the fact that he thought they were great for each other. He was also of the opinion that both Thomas and Juliet _needed_ someone good in their lives. Hannah had just about destroyed Thomas and Abby just hadn't been right for him. When the Viper showed up in their lives, he and T.C. had found out about Richard. That she had been in love and lost her fiancé to a violent act, by a man she'd thought was her friend. In the time they'd known her, she'd rarely dated and usually not more than once with the same man.

Katsumoto saw the thoughts chase across the other man's face, his usual ability to keep a straight poker face shot, most likely due to his exhaustion, and he wondered at it. When he realized that Rick was worried about his relationship with the woman, he hid a smile. While he'd thought about it for a split second a day or so ago, he knew he and Juliet Higgins would never work as a couple. The same thought about Higgins and Magnum's relationship crossed his mind now as it had then, and it appeared at least one of Magnum's best friends had the same inclination. This time, he held out his hand. "Rick, I'd be pleased if both you and T.C. would follow suit." He deliberately used the men's first names. Rick took it and T.C. nodded beside him.

"I'd like that." Rick sighed, feeling every second of his age. Turning to T.C., he said. "What do you think, big guy? Time to hit the road?"

T.C.'s response was a huge yawn, followed by a tired. "Yeah. Let's go." He turned to Juliet. "Higgy baby, you'll let us know if anything changes?"

"Of course."

T.C. didn't hesitate, he just pulled her into a hug which she returned. Rick hugged her again and the two men left, their steps dragging. Katsumoto turned to her and tilted his head. "You okay?"

She smiled at his concern. "As okay as I can be right now. Thank you."

"Alright then, I'm going to head out and grab something to eat, take a look at that case file."

"Where are you going?"

"Not sure, there must be a ton of places around here to eat and sit quietly."

She reached into her pocket and then held out the keys to the Ferrari. "Here, take the car if you don't find any place that suits your needs, if you want to head home or to the estate for anything."

He took them hesitantly, hearing her voice haranguing Magnum about the car belonging to Robin Masters. "Thank you. I might end up just sitting it in for a while to read or catch a cat nap. I'll be back in about four hours, give or take."

"That's fine." She hesitated and then said. "I know there have been a lot of apologies being given recently, but I wanted to add mine for not believing in your plan. I wish it had gone differently and we could use one of those men against Seaver. Still, I can't be sorry they're dead. At least they can't do this to anyone else."

"Apology accepted." He sighed. "Sadly, there'll just be someone else to take their place."

"Each one off the street is one less. We got three today."

He smiled and then they looked at each other awkwardly for a second. Juliet pushed down her normal reluctance to show emotions and stepped forward, pulling him into a hug. "You're a good man, Gordan Katsumoto."

He clumsily patted her on the back. "Same to you, Juliet Higgins." They separated and he walked away. She watched him go, wondering at the changes in both their lives. She'd been a solitary workaholic, quietly licking her wounds while living on her employer's estate and the detective had been a staid, by the book police officer. Now, they were family, along with Rick, T.C., Kumu, Shammy and the linchpin that held them all together, Magnum. She knew that the changes in all of them, had been brought about by the man in the room behind her. Shammy had been T.C. and Rick's friend first, but Magnum had enfolded him in with the others, making him part of the bigger whole. Turning, she went in to keep him company.

Entering the room, she hesitated by the door, looking carefully at him. Everything was calm, the heart monitor beeping out a nice steady rhythm. If one ignored the bruises, the machines and the ventilator, he almost looked peaceful, if too pale. She moved to sit in the chair next to his bed and gently ran the fingers of her right hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry we disturbed your rest Thomas. It was just a silly squabble between friends, amongst family. We're all just so worried about you and we miss you. Yes, even me." She leaned in and whispered in his ear. "HPD got the men who did this to you and they'll never hurt anyone again. They're gone forever. You can concentrate all your energy on getting better now." Leaning back, she took the book from the bedside table and opened it to the bookmark that indicated where the last person reading it to him had left off.

"The White Knight was running for his life. But not just his. There were people depending on him. His team, his friends, his brothers. The mission had somehow gone sideways, and he was the only one left who could get them the help they needed."

~,~,~,~,~

Later that evening, Raisa Drozdov finished putting the diamond studs into her ears. She patted her hair into place and stood, moving to look at herself in the full length mirror. She turned to the left and then to right, finally coming back to center. She made a slight adjustment to the amount of cleavage the slinky, shimmery red dress was showing, not wanting to come on too strong, at least not right away.

Satisfied with the result, she asked to the thin air. "How do I look?"

Jonathan Gilmore laughed in her ear. "How do you think you look? This guy is going to be tripping over his tongue when he sees you."

"That's very nice of you to say, Jonathan, but I meant how's my camera?" The expensive looking necklace around her neck was, in fact, a state-of-the-art tiny surveillance camera.

There was mostly silence now, but she was pretty sure she heard some muffled laughter and smiled widely into the mirror. She could always count on Celia to see the funny side of things. She might even be hearing a bit of laughter not belonging to her friend and coworker. It sounded feminine so she guessed it was Josie MacReynolds. The other Navy intelligence officer, Captain Greene, didn't seem like he had much of a sense of humor.

Finally, she heard a sigh. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"Why, Jonathan, would I ever do something like that?"

"Hell yeah, you would, and you have. You would think I'd have learned by now. Guess you can't teach an old dog new tricks."

"Well, should I ever encounter an old dog, I'll try to teach him, or her, a thing or two and see what happens." She didn't like when her sometime boss talked about his age. She didn't want to see the day when he decided to retire and leave the bureau. She worked with a lot of different people in the FBI field office on Hawaii and even got loaned out to the mainland at times. Gilmore was her favorite and she would hate to see him go.

The tone changed when Greene came online. "Stretch limo just showed up out front and Seaver got out. Looks like he's pulling out all the stops on this one. Everyone remember the plan?"

"Yes, Captain Greene. This isn't exactly my first rodeo." Irina snapped back.

There was a pause and then his voice sounded again. "I realize that and hope I didn't make you think I believed otherwise. It was not my intention."

She figured that was as close as she would get to an apology from the man and cut him some slack. This case was personal for both him and Josie. They were both acting very professional, but it came through on small things, like his worry that everything go to plan. She picked up a small clutch and made sure everything she needed was inside, including a Beretta Pico that didn't take up much space. When the knock came at the door, she was ready and went over to the couch to pick up the wrap she'd left thrown over the back.

She opened the door to find Ronald Seaver standing there holding a bouquet of red roses. He held them out and said. "These pale in comparison to your beauty." She had to stifle the urge to laugh at the clichéd line but instead ooh'd and aah'd over them as she let him into her suite. Something she hadn't planned on doing until later, wanting to keep him on edge and longing for her. She threw the wrap back onto the couch, pulled out a vase the hotel provided in the small kitchenette, filled it with water and placed the flowers in it. She had to admit, they really were quite beautiful.

Placing it on the small kitchen counter, she walked to the couch, picked up the wrap again and held it out to him. "Shall we get going?"

Reluctantly, he took it from her and helped her into it. She was sure he'd been expecting at least a cocktail in her room. Pretending not to know this, she swept to the door and allowed him to open if for her. As they left the room, he tried to stall. "We're a bit early for our dinner reservations, perhaps a drink?"

She pulled the door closed behind her and put her arm in the crook of his. "Sounds like a lovely idea. Let's go down to the bar where we first met."

He had no choice but to follow her lead and they ended up in the same bar, sitting on the same stools, where they each ordered a drink. She coyly looked at him over the rim of her glass and said in her fake heavy Russian accent. "This is very romantic, da? Sitting in the same place where first we met. Drinking the same drinks."

He smiled at her, besotted. Happy that she seemed to have changed her mind about not entering into a relationship with him. She smiled into her drink and took a small dainty sip. He finished his and ordered another, then a third while she was still on her first, encouraging him to drink more. After an hour, he looked at his watch and stood up. "If we leave now, we'll be just in time for our reservation." He took the wrap from the back of her chair and helped her into it again once she stood. Looking at the bartender, he said. "Just put it on my tab Brian."

The man addressed didn't bother to correct the man, again, that his name was Brad. Instead, he merely nodded and said. "Sure thing Mr. Seaver." Raisa smiled at him, showing him how impressed she was that he had a tab at such an exclusive place, and he puffed up.

"Shall we?" He raised his arm and she once again placed her hand in the crook of his elbow, allowing him to lead her out to the waiting car.

Outside, her eyes widened at the site of the waiting limo and she turned to him. "Is all of this just for the two of us?"

"All ours for the night. One of several in my fleet." He said with pride.

"How wonderful! I've been in a limo before, but not one so large." She looked up at him and fluttered her eye lashes at him. "You Americans certainly do everything…big." She meant his ego, but as expected, he took it another way and leaned in.

"Hopefully you'll continue to think so. All night."

She tittered out a small laugh and mock swatted him on the arm. "Uh uh Ronald, now behave." She turned and allowed the chauffeur to help her in. Once sitting, she carefully arranged her dress to show the most amount of leg, without being lewd, while he was getting in behind her. Sitting as close to her as he could get, his eyes traveled from her red pedicured feet in the silvery high heeled sandals she was wearing, to the hem of her dress. Once there, they continued on upward, stopping for a moment on her exposed cleavage and then continuing to her face. "You really are a breathtakingly beautiful woman, Raisa."

She lowered her eyes in fake modesty. She'd have to be a complete moron not to know she was a beautiful woman; she just didn't happen to think it was any of her doing. Just a random accident of DNA and nature. Most times, she found it a hinderance. Especially in her field where people, men AND women, assumed she was an airhead and underestimated her. She enjoyed setting them straight. She lifted her eyes back to him and breathed out. "You are a very handsome man, yourself, Mr. Seaver."

He smiled and leaned in for a kiss. He was almost there when she turned her head slightly and the kiss landed just to the side of her mouth. He looked perturbed and she smiled at him, reaching out and running a long red manicured nail down the side of his face. "We have all night. Let's go and enjoy our dinner. Perhaps go for a short walk afterwards in this beautiful city of yours. See where the night leads us. Hmmm?" She put as much promise into her words and eyes as she could without hitting him over the head with it. He smiled, enjoying the game he thought they were playing. Wouldn't he be surprised, she thought.

Turning back to the front, he pushed a button. A tinny voice responded. "Yes, Mr. Seaver?"

"We're ready. Let's go."

"Very well." The long car pulled away from the hotel and they drove off into the night. No one, other than Irina, knew they were being tailed. Greene and Celia stayed several cars behind the limo as it headed towards one of Hawaii's most exclusive restaurants, where Jonathon and this time Josie, waited for them. It had been easy work to hack into the reservation systems of several of the restaurants in the area that they thought he might choose to impress his date. They'd gotten lucky on the second hit and were able to insert their own reservation for a half hour before Seavers's. The limo pulled up in front of the building and a valet opened the door before the chauffeur could get out of the car. He helped Seavers out and then held his hand out for Irina. She gracefully exited, one long, barely clad leg at a time and the man's eyes got huge. She smiled her thanks at him and walked away, Seavers in her wake after pressing a tip into the young man's hands. Neither paid much attention to the fact that it was a hundred-dollar bill, as they both had their attention on the woman in red as she glided away.

Greene and Celia had parked just down the street and the woman started to laugh. Greene turned to her and frowned. "What's so funny?"

"The way men react to Irina. She attracts them with little to no effort."

"As long as she keeps her mind on the job, I don't really care who she does or doesn't attract. Seavers is our only target."

She tilted her head at him. "You don't go out much, do you?"

~,~,~,~,~

A/N – I was just thinking about the timeline and I'm going to say this was just before Greene set up Magnum on that top secret mission. In the end, they seemed to have reached a newfound respect for each other and I wouldn't mind seeing him pop up in a civilian role at some point, now that he's resigned his commission.


End file.
